Sophia's Memories
by QuietAspirations
Summary: Based on my other fic, Sophia's Chronicles. This will explore Sophia's early life - God/Amara rivalry, who Sophia really is and the archangels. Backstory to my main fic. Will definitely show how the romance between Lucifer/Sophia developed and heavily features archangels. A lot of fluff! First 4 chaps are abt why God adopted Sophia so skip to Chp5 if you don't want that.
1. The Glimpse

Sophia's Memories

 **Chapter 1: The Glimpse**

Sophia saw the Light. She had snuck out from her familial home under Amara's watch to peek over the thin veil that connected the two universes – the matter and anti-matter universes. This wasn't her first time – now _that_ is a story to tell. Sophia had been playing – back when Amara wasn't very tyrannical, which was a long time ago since Sophia couldn't remember it anymore – and she eagerly threw a stick a little too far for the hound to fetch. The large hound, with its volumes of menacing fur sticking out, made sad whimpering noises as it turned to face her, an expression of defeat. Comforting it with a hug and a kiss, she and the dog skipped over in the direction of the throw. She was hesitant to step outside the zone demarcated by her Mother as their home, but she knew that the sight of the retrieved stick would console the zealous mutt.

Carefully, she treaded along the dark open plains, which were a stark contrast to the luscious growth of nature that she grew up in. A naïve young thing, her curiosity was piqued by the appearance of a wavy, transparent wall that seemed so out of place in her world. She saw images moving beyond the wall – bright, luminescent images. Having known a world only through darkness, this light was magical. Unable to resist, she put a hand to the wall. "Ow!" she yelped as she pulled her hand away in pain. Her hand became a dangerously deep shade of red and little wisps of smoke emanated from it. _Damn._ "If Mother finds out, I'm going to be in a lot of trouble, Shika," she whispered to the hound. The hound simply stared blankly at her. "Heal faster dammit!" she begged her hand. But the process was slower than usual, which began to worry her. The dog, which had been quiet all this while, opened its large mouth and through sharp teeth licked her hand, slobbering all over it. That helped a bit. Her hand was returning to its normal colour, leaving almost no trace of what had happened.

Relieved, she stared back at the veil. Being more careful this time, she tuned her senses to adjust for the wavy texture of the wall. Focussing, she saw the movement again. There were living beings. Beings just like her, except they were masculine. She saw one of them – he had this beautiful red hair with a glowing complexion. He was chasing another being, who had a glassy, transparent form and they were flying around playfully. Having grown up alone, Sophia became excited at the thought of making friends. She wanted to get their attention, but nothing from her world seemed to be able to breach the wall. Not sound, not physical objects. Only the light from their essences.

"Adhya! Where are you?" She heard her Mother call. Adhya was what she was named when she was born. 'The first one', it meant. It was a name she wouldn't hear for a very, very long time after. Snapping her out of her daze, her Mother's call inspired panic in her. She wasn't supposed to be here. She picked up the hound in her arms and flew as fast as she could back to the palace, using an obscure back passage to enter and go to the garden, where she had been playing. Surely enough, Amara was standing there, hands on Her hips, scanning the garden for Her beloved daughter. "There you are," She remarked affectionately, spotting Her young one.

Sophia set the dog down, letting it wander about the garden. Amara picked Sophia up, gently kissing her on the cheek. Sophia put her arms around her Mother, embracing Her. Amara softly laughed, staring into the eyes of Her first child, which had black sclerae with green irises, unlike those of God's sons which had coloured sclerae. "It's time for you to meet your family, love," Amara whispered. "One day, you will rule over what I have made and take your rightful place in this kingdom."

Sophia was, at this point, still too young to understand the intricacies and principles of power and politics. Her time was mostly spent on enjoying her lonely childhood and at times, learning about the culture of her family. She didn't really understand what a kingdom was, or why she was meant to rule, but she only knew that she wanted to please her Mother. "Yes, Mama," she replied, flashing Her a toothy grin. Returning the smile, Amara leaned Her head on Sophia's forehead. But all Sophia could think about was those strange beautiful creatures she saw at the edge of the universe.

* * *

Back at the palace, the celebratory air permeated throughout the large complex, which was made of a main hall where everyone was gathered and public assemblies were held. It was the largest part of the palace, made to hold all the soldiers, generals and members of the royal family. Behind it were the offices where the army and royal family worked and even further back were the residential areas, where the royal family resided and Sophia was kept a guarded secret from everyone, even her own family. Until now, that is. That day, she was to be introduced to everyone and celebrated for her purity and honour in the eyes of The Great Mother, The Darkness, Amara, who had created everyone and everything in the anti-matter universe.

Her immediate family consisted of the Anti-Archs. Although they were not as powerful as Sophia, they certainly were the anti-matter equivalent of Archangels in God's universe. Amara had made them as three different lineages – the Sages, the Caregivers and the Warriors, all from Sophia's own attributes. There were two of each type of Anti-Arch, and each type of Anti-Arch also had its own line of cruarchs – followers, soldiers, what have you, which were the equivalent of angels and helped served the duties of the Anti-Archs. All of them, along with a variety of lower creatures, made up Amara's kingdom.

Where did Sophia fit into all of this? As Amara's first, she held a special place in this universe. Amara didn't want to rule or get involved in the affairs of Her own creations – She didn't have the patience for that. Sophia would assume Her place as The Great Archon, Bearer of Darkness, while Amara settled for the small pleasures from watching over Her creations from afar. That fateful day, She would show the world Her beautiful child, older than everyone else yet more youthful in appearance and wisdom. For Sophia to become the great being she was intended to be, she had to age slowly and gather the fruits of wisdom along the long path to maturity. At this point, Sophia had developed some rudimentary understanding of the world and was capable of carrying herself like the royal daughter she was meant to be, and this celebration was also intended for her to meet all the beings she would work with and rule over.

In her room, servants bustled around, getting things ready for Sophia. First, there was the bath, where the maids washed her with the fragrant ether from springs of mountains afar. Then, they brought for her a black dress which was made over the course of several centuries to include the finest fabric of the land, a rare cotton that was produced by only one type of plant which had to be carefully grown in its natural setting and harvested over several decades before being refined and drawn on by the best artists. The dress accentuated her natural curves, resting comfortably on her bosom and hips, as well as flowing freely down her thighs. Next came the jewellery and accessories. The intricate necklace, arm bands, headdress and bangles were made from an obsidian metal that was embedded with green gemstones to match her eyes. Finally, they did up her hair with many curls, letting small locks of curls escape. She was ready.

Sophia held her Mother's hand as they slowly walked down the stairs leading to the hall, in plain view of all the guests. Gasps and delighted murmurs resounded as they finally laid eyes upon her, after years of anticipation for this glorious moment. Her grey skin was radiant and its beauty took their breaths away. "I present to all of you, your future Archon, Adhya!" Amara's voice boomed. The hall soon erupted in applause and cheers. Sophia raised a hand to wave at her soon-to-be subjects.

Later, she was introduced to the Anti-Archs. There were the sages, Erin and Rumi, the warriors, Therin and Athreya, and the caregivers, Sova and Zaki. Sova was the first to receive her with open arms, embracing her. She had a warm smile that comforted Sophia, who was initially anxious about meeting a family who had never gotten to know her from the beginning. "So nice to finally meet you!" Hesitant at first, Sophia returned the embrace, and smiled at the others. The Anti-Archs were mostly female, as opposed to God's masculine archangels, a symbolic difference, Sophia would later realise. Only Athreya and Rumi were male, and both eyed her with a desire, though only one of them was allowed to ever pursue his carnal desires.

Joyous music played in the background, as Athreya and Sophia were left alone. "Would you like to have this dance?" he asked Sophia, a glint in his eye. Like everyone there, he had black sclerae, but with red irises. Taken by his form and request, Sophia gladly accepted, placing her hand in his. Fixing a loving gaze on her, he led her to the dance floor, where they moved in unison about the central fountain. Soon, all the dancing pairs left the dance floor, only to look in awe as they both danced merrily and gracefully. The pace of the music got faster and so did their movements. As the song came to an end, she threw her head back in laughter as Athreya pulled her closer to him and their faces were close to each other. Sophia's eyes stared into Athreya's, a moment in time becoming frozen. Then, self-awareness overcame her and she shyly parted from him, going to Sova's side as the others watched. Here, no one shunned romantic relations between the ranks, with Amara even remarking to Erin that Her daughter would choose whoever she wanted in due time.

The celebration was grand and Sophia certainly enjoyed seeing all these people who loved her even before knowing what she looked like, but no one could have guessed that she had been coming up with ideas on how to deal with the strange wall she had seen earlier. She was snapped out of her thoughts by Zaki, whose excited arms pulled her to a podium on which all the Anti-Archs had gathered with instruments. "Sing with us, Adhya," she beckoned. They all played their instruments to a familiar tune – Sophia had been taught all the folk songs by Amara and knew them well. As the chorus came, the others fell silent as Sophia began to sing, her silvery voice awe-inspiring to everyone else. The song soon reached a crescendo and picked up its pace. Lost in the music, Sophia danced, the cruarchs even joining her as she swirled merrily about the fountain in song. It was the happiest day of her life.

* * *

And here she was now, weeks later, in front of the partition. She didn't come empty-handed. She had come to realise that if she couldn't touch the wall with her bare hands, she would have to use some kind of protective material to interact with it. Sufficed to say, scientific investigation had been her destiny since the very beginning. She had with her a variety of crystals and metals – materials she had bought when Athreya invited her to join him on a trip to the marketplace. He had shown her around from time to time, the first time somewhat of a ruckus since a large crowd of curious onlookers followed them everywhere they went. Sensitive to her desire to roam freely, Athreya had a cloak made for her to disguise her appearance in public. _How thoughtful of him,_ she had thought. She couldn't deny that there was some attraction there between them, although she didn't know what to do about it.

On one hand, everyone would certainly approve of the pairing; Athreya had come to be respected for his strategic mind and bravery in a battle he led against the Jotuns from a neighbouring realm. If there was anyone suited to be the partner of the Archon, it would be him. He was also kind and treated her well, all the attributes of someone worth loving. On the other hand, all of this was so new to Sophia. It was not too long ago that she was playing with her hounds and hunting for precious blue sapphires in the river that flowed through the garden. She didn't feel ready to rule and the thought scared her. She just wanted to be left to her own devices for as long as was possible. The burden of overlooking the kingdom seemed too much for her to handle. But sneaking out into the open to peak over into the neighbouring universe, however, was a side-project that gave her something to look forward to.

Clearing these thoughts from her mind, she focussed on the task at hand. Slowly she used the materials one by one to touch the veil. One by one, each item disintegrated, leaving charred remains at her feet. She sighed. _This is pointless,_ she thought. She sat down on the sand, hugging her knees to her chest. Staring at the other universe, she saw small sparks of light from distant suns. They glimmered elegantly, their soft glow illuminating her features in the dark background of her native universe. As she looked on, a large figure appeared on the other side of the veil. He looked at her curiously, having come to investigate the source of the disruptive ripples on the partition.

God had been sure that Amara had sent some miscreants to disturb the wall that kept the mutually-destructive forces of their existences separate. But as He found, it was just a young creature that looked back at Him with the same curiosity that He harboured. "What are you doing?" He asked. Surprised to hear a voice through the veil, Sophia gasped and scrambled backwards, but soon paused, seeing that the other being didn't seem threatening.

"I-I was just curious," she muttered softly.

God's gaze softened. "What's your name?"

"Adhya." _Adhya._ So she was the one. The first one His sister had created. She looked like such a sweet young thing, obviously meaning no harm.

"Adhya, what are you curious about?"

"What's on the other side?"

God knelt, bringing His eyes to her level. "A whole universe, just like yours. Here the universe is made of Light, my light, just as your universe is made of the Darkness that comes from your Mother." Sophia's eyes widened. "Do you want to see it?"

 _Adventure! Exciting._ "Yes, please."

God placed both His hands on the veil. "I can't bring you over the partition, but I can show you what it looks like. Place your hands against mine."

Hesitant at first, she brought up a hand and put it against where God's hand was. Finding that it didn't burn like the last time, she rested her other hand comfortably on the veil as well. She closed her eyes. Suddenly, she was able to see things she had never been able to see before. God showed her the suns, the moons, the planets. The mere sight of these phenomena sent shivers through her body from their sheer beauty. They were polar opposites to what she had seen in her own universe – black suns that sucked the light out of every corner, monochrome skies and the suffocating heat in vacuum. "That is incredible," she remarked.

"I'm glad you like it. I created all of it."

Sophia pulled away and grinned at him, clearly satisfied with the experience. "Who are you?"

"I am your uncle, God."

"Mother never mentioned a brother… but then again She doesn't mention a lot of things." Her gaze fell, the smile on her face slowly vanishing.

"Something on your mind, little one?" God asked, concerned to see her shoulders drop with burden.

"I'm meant to become a ruler of sorts… but I haven't got the first clue as to what I'm supposed to do or who I'm supposed to be."

"Hmm… what would you rather be doing?"

"I like to wander the lands, sing with the birds, grow some flowers, things like that. Once, I fed my hound a blue-corn fruit that I picked from a tree that Mother purposely grew to be too high for the dog to reach and the hound fell sick. I was so worried about what Mother would say and I tried to do whatever I could to fix the dog! I tried every leaf, every flower I could find, and finally one worked and cured it! Mother only wondered why the dog was not eating properly but She never suspected a thing otherwise," Sophia went on and on and her speech soon evolved into a mischievous giggle. "Don't tell Mommy, okay?"

God chortled. "I won't if you don't tell Her about our little meeting, alright? It'll be our little secret. Now go home before Mommy wonders where you are."

She grinned from ear to ear. "Okay, Uncle!" Satisfied, she returned home. Little did she know that this one encounter would set the stage for the rest of her life and affect her in ways she wouldn't be able to imagine.


	2. The Secret

Sophia's Memories

 **Chapter 2: The Secret**

"… our monastery trains the brightest of minds to perform research and receive insight, wherever it may come from," Erin, The Sage, explained.

Amara had ordered Sophia to meet with all the three lineages of Anti-Archs individually, and learn their crafts intimately leading up to her official coronation a few eons later. There was no doubt that Sophia enjoyed learning about the various duties the Anti-Archs had, but it was the responsibility of becoming the Archon at the end of her training at each of their institutes that she shunned. The monastery was the last stop and all the Anti-Archs would meet together at the end of the tours. As Erin and Sophia entered, they spotted the others lounging about a table on couches, glasses of beverages in front of them and servants feeding them fruits. As soon as he spotted her, Athreya got up and gestured for Sophia to sit next to him eagerly. She obliged.

"Way to be subtle, lover boy," Therin joked.

Athreya shot his sister a furious look before turning back to Sophia with a pleasant smile. "Lovely Adhya, how has your day been?"

"It's been great, thank you," Sophia nodded. "I enjoyed seeing all of your institutes and the wonderful work you have all been working on. It truly is an important thing that all of you do and I am glad to have all of you by my side."

"A very diplomatic response," Sova chimed in. "You truly are a good fit for the throne."

"And it is important how you spend your time now," Rumi spoke up. "The future Archon needs to be focussed on becoming prepared to rule. Are you ready for that?"

Sophia was taken aback by his question. No one had ever been so forward with her. It was refreshing, yet it reeked of suspicion, as though he was accusing her of something. She tilted her head slightly, and was about to stutter a response, when Sova interjected. "Relax, Rumi, she's new to this stuff. Besides, in a few years, she'll kick our asses at our own games."

Rumi huffed and leaned back into his chair. "Sure," he responded, before receiving a grape being fed to him by a servant.

Sophia stared out the balcony, seeing that the black sun had set. Light was returning to the sky. She remembered her meeting with God. He met up with her more often now, showing her more amazing things from His universe. She enjoyed spending time with Him because He listened to her without judgment, although she could do without Him putting Amara down. She got up to leave.

"Got someplace to be?" Therin asked, her eyebrow raised in askance.

"Uh… I have to feed the hounds," Sophia lied.

"How kind of you…" Athreya gushed. He took her hand and kissed it. "I'll see you around?"

She smiled back at him, the sight of her soft lips putting him in a daze. "Definitely."

As she walked away, Athreya admired her from behind, his head even tilting as she turned at the corner outside the door. He turned back excitedly to the others. "Did you hear that, guys? She'll 'definitely' see me!"

While Sova, Zaki and Erin were happy for him and laughed at his puppy-like enthusiasm, Therin and Rumi had other thoughts. When the group retired for the day, they both met up discreetly.

"Do you think something's up with Adhya?" Rumi asked Therin.

"I don't know for sure, but she seems to disappear a lot for someone who is supposed to be learning from the company of others," Therin replied anxiously. "But it could be nothing."

"I think there's something she's hiding, Therin. We need to find out what."

"Are you crazy? We can't be seen spying on Mother's favourite daughter! Besides, she doesn't owe it to us to tell us everything about her," Therin shot back. "And even _if_ she was hiding something, and that's a big 'if', what makes you think she won't eventually tell us? We are all going to be working closely together soon."

"What's holding you back? You know there's something to be found. If this was any of the cruarchs, we would be onto them immediately."

"Well, for starters, she's not a cruarch! She is going to be Archon, and if Athreya has his way, she will be his wife. It just doesn't make sense for me to get the dirt on someone my brother really likes, you know?" Therin's violet irises bore concern.

"If there's no dirt, what have you got to worry about?" Rumi made a good point. "Come on, aren't you the _least_ bit curious what she's doing away from everyone else's eyes?"

Therin couldn't resist Rumi's temptation any longer. She agreed to meeting up with him to stalk Sophia whenever she had snuck away. Just their luck, Sophia had naïvely used the same excuse of wanting to feed the hounds for leaving another gathering early, tipping them off. The duo exchanged knowing glances, both taking distant spots, tailing her from afar. As they followed her through the maze of hallways and doors, they met as she turned a corner. Treading silently, they peaked around the corner. There she was, at the hound enclosures.

"Just feeding the hounds, like she _truthfully_ told us she would be," Therin whispered angrily to Rumi. "I should have known this was a silly idea. Now I feel horrible." She straightened up and turned to leave as Rumi grabbed her hand and pulled her back down.

"Wait, look!" He pointed. Sophia had finished feeding the hounds, but she didn't leave through the door she came from. Instead, she had gone to the other end of the room, escaping their sights. "What is she doing now if she's already fed the hounds?"

They both snuck over to the door leading to the enclosures and peaked into the room. Gone. Sophia had vanished. Where did she go? They both rushed into the room, the hounds barking noisily at their new visitors. Therin began tracing her hands along the walls and finally her finger reached a depression. A click sounded and a door opened, leading to a secret passage. They both carefully ventured through the secret passage, quickening their pace as they reached another door at its end. Going through the door, they found that it led to the outside. It was a backdoor to the edge of the premises.

"Great, a whole expanse of nothing. How are we supposed to find her now?" Therin grumbled.

"Look, footsteps in the sand. I guess we're lucky she didn't choose to fly."

They followed the trail, noting the occasional bush and tree which would serve as good spots for cover in case they needed to hide. Finally, the trail came to an end, and they spotted young Sophia, her dress dragging along sand as she ran eagerly towards something. Rumi and Therin took cover and observed from afar, as another figure stood in front of her, sweeping her up in His embrace – it was God, who had passed through the barrier separating their two worlds and now happily spun her around in His arms. Sophia's hair flung about as she laughed heartily, enthused to see her Uncle.

Therin suppressed a gasp. This was big. Everyone in the universe knew about Him. Little cruarchs were told about the Evil God as horror stories – how He despised their loving Mother and erected a great barrier to keep Her at arm's length, an act that alienated Amara and punished Her for her love of Her brother. Now here He was, affectionately playing with His niece. "Does she not know who He is or…?" Rumi wondered out loud.

"I'd heard that Mother kept her in the dark about a lot of things. Maybe this is one of them?" Therin hypothesised. "What do we do, Rumi? We can't keep this to ourselves. If Mother finds out, She'll be really mad."

"Exactly. I think we should keep this to ourselves first. Things could get really bad if we reported this to Mother." Therin nodded in agreement. They headed back to their posts.

* * *

For centuries, this went on. Therin and Rumi knew exactly when she snuck out and what excuses she would use. More than anything, they were worried about her. What if the Evil God tried to hurt her? They had hoped that she would stop eventually. With how things were changing in the palace, it wasn't a far-fetched idea. She had grown into her role more and gotten used to a certain routine, which of course included her secret night-time activities. Athreya had only become more attached to her and Sophia couldn't help but enjoy his presence more, albeit not to the extent he had hoped for. Yet, Sophia realised that choosing Athreya as a partner was a strategic choice and would be looked upon favourably by her Mother, who seemed to be increasingly goading her into seeing him more often.

One day, Sophia talked about this with God. They were both sitting together on the sand, with Sophia lazily throwing stones at the veil. He gave her a reassuring smile. "Maybe your Mother wants you to be with him because She sees the immense potential you have as a couple," God explained. She gave him a questioning look. He elaborated, "Adhya, you were created feminine. You have the ability to bring forth life. With such potential, you and Athreya would complement each other and produce more beings like yourselves who would take on your legacies. Maybe Amara just wants to see you enjoy the fruits of creation just as She has. I know I would, if you were my daughter."

She rested her head on His shoulder. "If I was your daughter, you would want me to create more life?"

"Of course. You could pick among my sons whoever you wanted!"

"You have sons?" she looked back up at Him.

"I guess I should have told you earlier. Yes, I have many children. Four of the first of them, all sons from primordial essence. My other sons and daughters, made with grace." This made Sophia's mind wander to thoughts about how being one of God's children would be. What would it truly be like to be His daughter?

"If I was your daughter, what would you have me do?"

"You could do whatever you wanted. You want to explore the wilderness and understand what each and every plant does? Go ahead. You want to take care of the angels? Sure, why not. You have it in you to become great, little Adhya. You just need to be unrestricted in pursuing what matters to you." God's words consoled her. She wished so badly to cross over into His universe and become one of them. It felt so right, running away from her home to be somewhere new, somewhere she could make a name for herself.

God stood up. "Alright, that's all the time we have for today. Don't fret about Athreya. Just take time to think it over and make a decision when you are level-headed, okay?"

Sophia looked at Him with a longing. In that moment, she did something she had never done before. She had always seen God as her own Father and it seemed so natural to do so. As they embraced, she thanked Him and kissed Him on the cheek lovingly. It was just something small – a token of her appreciation. But God hurriedly pushed her away, looking at her with alarm in His eyes. "You shouldn't have done that," He said, His hands on her shoulders. He lifted her chin with a finger, inspecting her lips with concern.

"What's wrong, Uncle?" she asked innocently. Her lips had hints of Light essence on them. It would have poisoned her if He hadn't stopped her soon enough. He was just relieved to see that she seemed to be doing fine. No trace of Light left on her, He hoped.

"Nothing, my sweet. Just don't do that again, okay?" He tried to ease her worried gaze.

"Alright…" her voice trailed off. "Goodbye, Uncle."

* * *

Back at the palace, Sophia was casually brushing her hair when Amara came to visit. "How is my li-" Amara stopped talking when She laid eyes on Sophia. She rushed to her side and knelt to get a better look, holding her face in Her hands.

"I feel fine, Mother," she tried to assuage her Mother's concerns. It didn't seem to work.

"How did you get this?" Amara's anxious tone began to frighten Sophia. Amara touched her lip, pulling away some Light essence. Sophia's gaze simply flickered between Her finger and face, unsure of what to say. She wasn't used to lying to her Mother. "Tell me!" Amara demanded, causing Sophia to shudder.

"I don't know!"

Amara looked at Her daughter with wide eyes full of shock. "You're- You're lying to me?" She felt hurt. "What could make you hide the truth from your own Mother?" Sophia's eyes welled up with tears, ready to break into sobs. Amara gently placed Her hands on Sophia's shoulders. "Is someone threatening you, baby? You don't have to be afraid to tell me who did this to you!"

Sophia shook her head, wiping tears away with the back of her hand. "No, Mommy! No one's doing this to me!"

Amara straightened up and backed away from Sophia, Her concern now replaced with fury. "There is only one person so stubbornly persuasive who could convince you to keep secrets from me. God!" Fists clenched, Amara took off, leaving Sophia alone to cry in her room. Something bad was going to happen. Something really bad.


	3. The Truth

Sophia's Memories

 **Chapter 3: The Truth**

"Come and face me, Brother!" Amara yelled through the veil. "Face the consequences for what you've done!" Her fury was a force to reckon with, as everyone would find out soon.

God didn't show. He was hesitant to have to answer to his Sister. Enraged by His absence, Amara crossed the barrier. She smashed planets into pieces, exploded suns and left a gaping vacuum in their absence before She finally found a real target He would appear for. His children. The young angels were holding hands and dancing in circles, their infectious laughter a force that would have calmed Amara if the circumstances were different. But right now, all She could think of was revenge. Revenge for laying a hand on Her child. Hand raised, She didn't even hesitate to smite these poor little angels. Their dying shrieks fed her frustration. Her eyes scanned the environment, and finally She spotted him. One of the first four – Raphael.

His petite metallic bronze form stared at Her with mouth wide open. It was too much of a horror for a child to have witnessed, and Raphael had seen it all happen right in front of him, while he was meant to be the healer of Heaven. Now he stood paralysed, as Amara's bloodthirsty gaze rested on him. She summoned him forth with a hand and raised him up with a hand to his neck. Little Raphael struggled in Her grasp, gasping to get the words out to call for his Father. "That's right, call Him," Amara taunted. She began to exert pressure on his neck, leaving him to squirm and let out short noises of pain.

"That's enough!" God's voice boomed.

"Finally, thought you'd never show!" Amara shot Him a look of daggers.

"Let my son go, Amara. We can talk about this!" He demanded.

"Why should I permit you that courtesy? You forfeited it when you tainted Adhya. I should do the same to your son and see how he enjoys it!"

"I didn't taint her. It was an accident. It's not as bad as you think. She'll be fine, I promise!"

"Why should I believe that you didn't intend harm?"

"If I intended harm, she wouldn't be alive now. I would have ended her the first time I saw her… which was ages ago," God confessed. He didn't know how else to console Her.

Amara huffed. "Ages ago? Then why were you seeing her recently?"

He paused, thinking of how to phrase the truth. "Amara, I have been spending time with her… regularly. She is a sweet child and sometimes she just needs a listening ear."

"A-and you're the one she goes to for a listening ear?" Amara shook her head in denial. "This can't be… Not my Adhya…"

"I'm sorry, but that's the truth. I love her like my own. I would never hurt her-"

"Stop!" Amara bellowed. "You're lying! First you forsake your own Sister to create all these _things_ and then you go to Khaos to erect this stupid wall to keep me away. And even that, I could handle, Brother. I finally got over it and tried to do what you did and I created…" Amara began tearing up. "And now you can't even handle the fact that I'm happy with what I have and you're trying to take what I love away from me. You're trying to turn my own daughter against me and take her for yourself!"

God shook His head. "That's exactly not what's going on!"

Amara increased Her grip on Raphael's neck. Raphael swung his arms about frantically, traumatised by the pain. God instinctively raised His hand and shot at Amara, causing Her to fall back. He rushed forward to gather Raphael in His arms, comforting him as he dug his head into his Father's neck, afraid to look at Amara again. "It's alright, son, I've got you now," God whispered. "Go back home and wait for me to come back. Don't talk about this with anyone." He let Raphael go and he complied.

God stood over Amara. "I'm starting to see why Adhya doesn't enjoy confiding in you. You're not fit to raise a child! You don't even hesitate to hurt them!"

Amara got up, royally pissed at God. "You stay away from my little girl. Next time I will be swift in destroying your sons." She went back to Her universe, old tensions reignited with God.

* * *

Sophia paced back and forth in the garden outside the wing where the Anti-Archs resided. She debated with herself on whether or not to confide in them. "Would they understand? No they would just judge me. Maybe they should," the mental back-and-forth did little to calm her. Inevitably, they spotted her from a distance and began towards her. Her head jerked to face them as soon as she spotted them from the corner of her eye. Athreya's goofy grin faded as he noticed her tear-riddled eyes and trembling fingers. His composed pace evolved into a jog as he rushed to find out what was wrong, the others following him.

"What happened?" Athreya asked. "Are you alright?"

Her lips quivered as she shook her head. "I messed up. I didn't mean to. I didn't mean to!" She buried her face in her hands. They simply looked on, confused. Therin and Rumi looked at each other, both asking the same question in their heads. _Was it God?_

"What were you thinking?" Amara's voice resounded behind her. Sophia spun quickly to face Her. Her shoulders trembled as tears rolled down her smooth cheeks. Amara snapped Her fingers and bound Sophia's wrists in a chain. The Anti-Archs gasped at the sight, alarmed by the harshness they had just witnessed.

"What's going on?" Sova cried.

Amara maintained an authoritative gaze on Sophia. "I've been nothing but loving towards you, Adhya, but you hurt me. Unfortunately, I wouldn't be much of a Mother if I didn't punish my children for making mistakes."

"Mother, don't do this, please! I'll do anything!" Sophia begged.

"Then repent. Think about what you did and tell me why it was wrong."

Sophia gulped. She had to take a stance and be truthful once and for all. She couldn't pretend to be someone she wasn't anymore. "It wasn't," she said firmly although she was shivering like a leaf in the wind. Mother had a puzzled expression on Her face. "He never hurt me. He never would. Unlike you."

Amara grabbed her by the neck and tilted her head up to face Her. "You gullible child! If you were His daughter, He wouldn't hesitate to do the same. Or even worse! You don't know who you're talking about." She dragged her by the chains towards the manor.

Athreya began to go after her but Therin stopped him. He shrugged her off brashly. "Brother, don't do this," she advised.

He turned towards her, furious. "We can't just stand by! Don't you want to know what happened?" Therin stared back at him with a defeated look. Her look told him everything he needed to know. "You knew?"

She looked at Rumi, pleading moral support. Rumi went to her side and explained, "Adhya's not exactly who you think she is. She's been meeting up with God frequently and Mother must have found out somehow."

Erin put a hand to her mouth. "This is blasphemy! I can't believe she would do something like this."

Athreya was only enraged even more. "Shut up! We don't know the whole story. We can't judge her just yet."

Therin put a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Brother, you don't have to defend her. She did something wrong and now she's paying for it. When she's done, she'll come back to us the same."

"You're one to talk, Therin! How long have you known, huh? How long have you kept this a secret from the rest of us?" Zaki spoke up.

"Too long," Therin responded. "But I see your point. She deserves the benefit of doubt. We owe her at least that much."

* * *

"Believe me when I say that this hurts me more than it will _ever_ hurt you," Amara said in a stoic voice. The cell was dark and cold, a sanctuary of angst and discomfort even in a world characterised by activity in the darkness of night. Sophia had stopped crying, resigning to her fate a little too soon. She was bound to chains which were nailed to the walls of the cell. The chains were long, permitting her some movement around the cell. In that instance, Mother had her kneeling, her back facing the door. With a swift flick of the hand, Amara brought down the whip, cutting into her form. Sophia yelled in pain and her vision became blurry, this being the first time her coddled form had ever experienced a pain so great. To be fair, the first whip did strike at the part where her wings were connected to her back, the most sensitive of areas for primordial beings.

 _Whip._ Another scream. _Whip._ A groan. With every strike, her pain was known throughout the lands of the kingdom as a deafening thunder resounded for every one. The cruarchs, peasants and creatures of all realms looked up to the black sun in the sky as it transformed. It's black centre which had a white corona slowly grew cracks with every thunder. Sophia's hands tightened around the chains, bundling them in her palms as she tried to diffuse the pain. Her head was now buried in her thighs, as she tried to cower away from Mother. But the pain only got worse and worse. She wanted to yell for it all to stop.

In that moment, the seeds for a certain kind of darkness, the kind that was feared in God's universe, were sown in Sophia. _If I beg her to stop, She will only continue to treat me like this if I so much as say something She doesn't like,_ she came to realise. Eyes hardening with a resolve of steel, Sophia slowly straightened up, her screams becoming soft winces as she forced herself to tolerate, and even enjoy, the pain. She wanted to stay strong for God, releasing an energy so powerful that the black sun, which the other creatures feared would erupt in light, suddenly became a fiery star that emitted a warmth like they'd never known, all while it's surface became crystalline – it had become a frozen sun. Seeing that Her punishment was doing nothing to drive Sophia towards redemption, Amara grew agitated, Her final few blows so strong that they knocked Sophia out. A sudden rain fell upon the lands as Sophia fell to her side, unconscious.

"What have I done?" Amara rushed to her side and checked her vitals, heaving a huge sigh of relief to find that she was okay. Yet She couldn't believe what She had done to Her own daughter. She never expected to hurt her this badly. "Why didn't you just repent?" Amara caressed Sophia's cheek as She pushed a lock of hair behind her ear. As Her tears fell on Sophia's scar-ridden back, hisses sounded when the tears began to heal her wounds slightly. Amara stepped back, confused. Was this some sort of message – that Her pain was necessary to heal Sophia's? She took off, taking time alone to reflect on what She had done. Meanwhile, Sophia recovered slowly and the Anti-Archs, having seen what the episode had done to the kingdom, decided that no matter her crimes, Sophia's suffering was unwarranted. It was among the last few times they would come to a consensus on anything for a very long time.


	4. The First Deal

Sophia's Memories

 **Chapter 4: The First Deal**

"You come to me again, God?" Khaos, the formless, the unknown, spoke. God had summoned Khaos through a black hole, and was now speaking to the Being through it. Khaos had no face, no voice, but was simply perceived. It was only roughly classified as a Being, for Khaos is not something that can be delineated in space and time. It was the fabric that permeated all the universes and through which material creation existed. It was the force that produced the primordial essences that the Archangels and Anti-Archs were made of, and both God and Amara had to make a bargain for those essences. Khaos was that from which balancing forces of Light and Darkness, Masculine and Feminine, Good and Bad, Life and Death, War and Peace, etc. were emanated. Such a being was neither singular nor plural, neither male nor female, hence the pronoun 'It'. God had come to Khaos before, when He decided that He did not want to create anything with the interference of Amara. He asked It to grant Him the barrier that separated the matter and anti-matter universes, to which It was agreeable simply because the barrier allowed for the final balance – order and chaos.

"Yes, I have another favour to ask." God approached It with the pure intention of compassion, His wish fuelled by the encounter with Amara. "I want to bring a being over from the anti-matter universe into my home."

Khaos laughed, spewing photons and mass through the black hole. "You must be joking!" God remained silent, beginning to get disheartened by Its response. "Why can't you be satisfied with your own creations, God?"

"It's not about me!" God pointed a firm finger towards Himself, His form taut with tension. "Amara doesn't deserve a child like Adhya. She can't take care of her. I _need_ to save her."

"God, it isn't your job to intervene in the affairs of Amara and Her children."

God crossed His arms. "Well I can't just stand by! Now can you help me bring her over or not?"

A dead silence from the black hole. "Of course, We govern the passing and going over the veil. But there are consequences to such an action. No beings other than yourself or Amara may pass through the veil without disturbing the balance within each universe and between them. For Adhya to disturb the sanctity of the veil, another must be returned to Us to maintain it."

"You want me to trade one of my own for her?" God looked away, suddenly realising He may not be able to fulfil such an ultimatum. Worry for Adhya gnawed at Him, yet He could not forfeit one of His children for her.

"No, your sons will not be suitable for the exchange." God was relieved. "When Adhya crosses over, you will have to stabilise her to exist in your universe. When you do so, her essence will not be pure Darkness anymore – it will be a mixture of Light and Darkness. Therefore, we require a being produced from her own new essence to restore the balance lost from her crossing."

"Like a child made by her?" God inquired. This was a difficult decision. He had admired Sophia for her femininity and ability to inspire life. He had even given her hope of creating someday. It would be cruel to take something like that away from her. Perhaps He would leave her be; she'll be upset, but ultimately fine. Yet He couldn't bear the thought of Amara keeping her in misery for eons upon eons. "Fine, I'll make sure you get your dividend." And it was done. The First Deal was made.

* * *

" _Mother of miracles_

 _Save me from slavery_

 _Worse than my Death itself_

 _Try to understand"_

Sophia's melancholic melody echoed through the lands, as she sat, despaired in her cell. Conversation stopped everywhere, as this tune for release was carried through walls and mountains afar to reach even the furthest citizens of the kingdom.

" _Believe me_

 _Forgive me_

 _Don't leave me_

 _Being a slave_

 _Living in pain_

 _Alone and crying_

 _Open wide gates of dark sun_ "

Her begging voice made the villagers weep. Even though they respected the Great Mother, The Darkness, they simply fell in love with the future Archon as soon as they laid eyes on her. Word had spread everywhere about Sophia's beauty, grace and wisdom, as did news of her imprisonment. 'The Dark Sun' was what the lower creatures called the wall that separated the two universes. They heard her prayers, and they all wanted to express their support for their beloved Archon, who in their eyes should have been free to do as she pleased in the first place. Political will turned against Amara as the masses gathered before the palace in protest.

The Anti-Archs looked at them from a balcony. "This is out of control," Therin voiced. "What do we do?"

"It seems perfectly in control to me," Athreya rebutted. "They all want the same thing. So do we."

"But to rebel against Mother?"

"It's the right thing to do," Erin interjected. "We all agree that it's unfair what's happening to Adhya. We have no choice but to disobey Mother."

"Even if we did want to free her, there's no way we can 'open the gates of dark sun'. That's impossible," Rumi said.

"We don't have to do _that_ ," Athreya spun to face Rumi. "What if we could free her, and unite her with the people? Mother can't hurt her without significant protest from the rest of us."

"Then what?" Sova folded her arms. "The whole reason we're in this mess is because Adhya had second thoughts about becoming Archon. If you bring her back to the people, they'll want her to rule, even if they stand with her against Amara now."

"You're saying that as if it's a bad thing." Athreya's eyebrows creased. He loved Adhya, and wanted her to be happy, even if that meant she would be in touch with the Evil God. Yet, he couldn't accept the possibility of her leaving. He'd secretly hoped that she would be amenable to becoming Archon when released, taking her rightful place rather than rotting in prison for eternity for her stubbornness in supporting God.

"I think what my sister means is that Adhya may not want to become Archon and we should respect her wishes. We are more than capable of ruling by ourselves, just like we did before she was introduced. She was just a myth, a legend, a prophecy that kept us going in hopes of a better future. We can still go on without her," Zaki explained.

"No!" Athreya and Rumi exclaimed simultaneously. They exchanged glances and Rumi spoke up. "Even if that was the case, we should not be _encouraging_ her to forfeit the throne. We shouldn't even bring it up as an option! Allowing her to fulfil her birthright is what we should all be aiming for, and if she continues to insist upon throwing it all away, then there's nothing we can do." The other Anti-Archs hesitated for a moment, then one by one, expressed their support for Rumi's position. They agreed to help her escape her prison, and work to restore the kingdom to the way it was supposed to be, with her interests at heart, of course.

* * *

Footsteps echoed in the hallways. Sophia's gaze remained fixated on the ground, unwilling to acknowledge any visitors who may have snuck into the prison just to take a look at her like she was some exhibition prop. Yes, that happened before with some curious palace guards. They were kind to her, but she hated having to meet them under these circumstances, hence the bitterness. Contrary to her expectations, the doors swung open and the loving red eyes she missed were now in front of her, whispering consoling words as her shackles were undone.

Sophia was whisked away from the prison to her room, still in a daze. Having spent a long time in a confined space, she had gotten used to resigning to the events of the moment rather than taking control of her thoughts and actions. It had taken her a while to realize that she was in the comfortable setting of her own room. Her vision and hearing focussed when she heard someone calling her name.

"Adhya?" Athreya's comforting voice kept her calm. "You're safe. You're free." He smiled, keeping his distance not as to overwhelm her.

Sophia nodded. "Thank you," she managed to say, still unused to speaking to anyone.

"I'll give you some time to get yourself cleaned up and relax. Is that alright?" Athreya left, giving her time alone.

Sophia looked around the large room, eventually settling for a seat on her large, comfortable bed. She had just wanted to spend some time alone to collect herself, but her solitude would be short-lived. She began combing her long hair, when out of the blue, the person she least wanted to see appeared before her. She dropped the comb and scurried backwards, shocked by Amara's presence. "Are you here to take me back?" Sophia couldn't help but ask. _Of course this couldn't be real,_ she thought.

"No, my Adhya. You are here because I allowed it. The Anti-Archs want to give you a second chance, to redeem yourself by taking your place among them for everyone to see. I think you should take it," Amara's voice was cold and distant.

"You talk as if you didn't persuade them to make such a decision."

"I didn't," Amara took a few steps towards the bed, placing a hand on the bed post. "You see, it was my plan to remain detached from the affairs of my creations as soon as you became Archon and they didn't need my guidance anymore."

"Yet, I have a choice now, don't I? I have to become Archon of my own accord." Sophia had chosen to pursue that line of thought. "I don't know if I can be here anymore. This is not where I belong."

"And you think you belong with God?" Amara scoffed. Disgust emanated from Her demeanour. She threw Her hands up. "You want to leave? Then try! I won't let you cross that veil because I wouldn't be doing you a favour if I did. But do not give up whilst on your journey and expect me to forgive you."

A rebellious pang energised Sophia, who was adamant to prove her Mother wrong. As Amara disappeared, she took one last look at her childhood room. This was her chance to run away.

* * *

The grey, sombre skies were overcast, the air electric. Winds howled, resisting Sophia's movement as she treaded through the sand. _Must get to the veil_ , she repeated to herself. She had briefly considered what Amara said about becoming Archon again, but seeing God again seemed so natural and a decision that needed little thought. She hoped God would be able to give her insight on what she should do. This meeting held great significance – she wanted to be clearer about what she wanted, even at the cost of disappointing Mother beyond the threshold of redemption.

Thunder rumbled menacingly. There was no time to lose. Her dress enveloping her legs as the wind blew towards her, she quickened her pace. This was no weather for flying – travelling by foot was the tiresome but efficient method. She kept her eyes to the ground, watching her path. A small depression formed spontaneously before her. As she stood, intrigued by it, a bolt of lightning suddenly shot up in the air from it. Soon, the desert became a ground full of such depressions forming and disappearing, all accompanied by the powerful spikes of electricity. Sophia tried to avoid them as much as she could, though some had appeared right underneath her and she couldn't escape the strikes on her wings. Despite the pain and smell of burning wings, she carried on. _Thud._ A stone fell in front of her. She looked up. Soon, a rain full of hard stones fell upon the plains, ambushing her. She raised her hands to cover her head, but she still had to endure their impact on her body, which served to slow her down.

So far, she was doing fine. Just a little more to go; the ripples on the veil were within her line of sight. She focussed on getting to the light, when distinct growling sounds appeared behind her. _Mother's hounds._ She took off in a sprint, in an attempt to reach the veil before the hounds could catch up to her. But alas, one hound was quickly closing in on her and with a mighty pounce it leaped onto her back. Sophia struggled with the mutt, her forearm pushing against its neck. Soon, the others would arrive and she would be outmatched against the hounds.

Its teeth were in such close proximity to her, ready to tear her apart. It was strange how a creature capable of healing and friendship was also capable of utter hostility and brutality. Lucky for Sophia, her predicament was met with an arrow through the hound's head. Its blood splattered on her face as it fell limply to her side. Getting up, she came face to face with her scarlet-eyed saviour. Athreya had come with the other Anti-Archs, all taking on the dogs just to see her safe. While they were engaged in combat with the rugged mutts, Sophia glanced at the veil.

Within seconds, God appeared on the other side of the veil, gesturing for her to approach. "I can get you out of there, Adhya. Just come and take my hand." His hand extended through the veil.

She looked back at the desert again. She looked to see everything she was giving up. There were the vast mountains, forests and cities full of beings who loved and respected her. There was her home, where she grew up knowing she was safe. And then there were the Anti-Archs, who were willing to fight for her to have the chance to choose. Amidst them, Athreya stood upright, having driven a sword through a hound. He saw her from afar, looking on to see what she would do. His expression seemed to beg her to stay, to make it all right again in their world. Seeing their sacrifice, Sophia had half a mind to stay. There was so much at stake. All of them had given so much for her and it would be unwise to show nothing for it.

She gave Athreya a soft smile. He returned it, hoping to be reunited with her. But a bolt of lightning had other plans, as it ripped straight through her wings. Sophia fell to her knees, her back arched in pain. Athreya rushed forward, trying to cover the distance between them. God had other plans. He moved much faster, gathering Sophia in His arms. The inklings of her struggle were silenced by God, who put her to sleep as He carried her through the veil, Athreya's protests being drowned out by the partition that separated the two universes.

A/N:

Song credits: The Gates of Dark Sun by Scarleth


	5. The Beginning

Sophia's Memories

 **Chapter 5: The Beginning**

Raphael looked on with shock as he took cover behind Zenith, the furthest planet in the universe from Earth. His Father was talking to someone through a black hole. He didn't know who, but he overheard bits and pieces from their conversation from his vantage point. God was making a deal. But why would the Lord Almighty need to make a deal? Raphael had been deeply unsettled since his encounter with his Aunt, Amara. The evil bitch tried to kill him after all, and over what? This _Adhya_ that God wanted to bring over? Most would have thought Lucifer was the first to question his Father's orders, but the truth is, Raphael beat him to it. Unlike Lucifer, however, Raphael trusted his Father to make the right decision, regardless of how absurd it sounded.

After the ordeal with Amara, God had instructed Raphael to keep it a secret from his brothers and forget about it. But Raphael couldn't help but become concerned when Father began disappearing every now and then. His brothers thought nothing of it, but he knew what was going on. Something in him had become broken when he saw his younger siblings get murdered by an evil unlike anything he'd known and he had come close to death itself. He tried his best to keep it together for Father's sake. His brothers never even suspected that he had changed. Gabriel was as playful as he always was. Lucifer was as adventurous as he always was. And Michael was as protective as he always was. For their sakes, Raphael hoped that none of them would encounter the same Darkness that he did. He desperately hoped that God knew what He was doing.

* * *

"Gabe, don't touch my sword!" Lucifer admonished his younger brother.

"Sorry bro, but this is one beauty of a knife!" Gabriel retorted. He lunged forward, striking into thin air. Lucifer rushed forward, tactfully disarming his brother and retrieving his blade.

"You come into my room again, and the air isn't all this blade is going to be cutting. Got it?" Gabriel gave Lucifer the look of a sad puppy as he walked away to a corner. Lucifer rolled his eyes. " _Brothers._ They think they own your stuff," he muttered under his breath. A soft smile brightened his face as he thought about his brother's interest in knives. He could teach the little guy to fight now.

Just as he was about to discuss the prospects of training Gabriel, Michael popped his head through the door. "Brothers, Father has something important to tell us," he announced. His forehead was creased with worry.

"Everything okay, Michael?" Lucifer asked, sheathing the blade. It had been a while since they saw God and it was beginning to worry Michael, although he routinely told his brothers that it was probably nothing. But Lucifer was perceptive, noting that Michael was just trying not to worry his younger siblings. It had always been Gabriel who was naïve enough to enjoy the lack of awareness in such situations, being the youngest archangel and all, and his older brothers had always thought it a duty to keep it that way.

"I'm sure everything is fine, but you know me," Michael tried to keep calm. "We need to go to the meadows now."

* * *

Raphael looked sullen, waiting all by himself for his brothers and God to arrive. He could guess what this meeting was about, but he didn't know whether it would good or bad news. All he knew was that someone had leverage over his Father because of this being that He wanted to bring home. Raphael drew a line in the soil using a stick, running it back and forth to create a depression. The movement of the stick became faster and more aggressive as he realised he did not like where this was headed. He had a bad feeling about all of this and it sucked that he had to doubt his own Father. Yet, he would keep calm. For God.

"Raphael! Good to see you, bro!" Gabriel eagerly ran to his brother, embracing him tightly. Raphael laughed, returning the hug. Lucifer and Michael arrived shortly after. They all sat near a lone tree.

"Do you have any idea what this is about?" Michael asked Raphael.

Raphael gave Michael a blank stare, surprised that his brother had chosen to ask _him_ as though he knew something. Dismissing the paranoia, he simply replied that he didn't know.

"He's here," Lucifer announced as he gazed up. Father had returned, but He wasn't alone. Someone was with Him. Someone they'd never seen before. She wasn't like them. Her essence was dark, unlike anything they had known. Alarmed, the four brothers brandished their blades.

Sophia's eyes widened, her grip on God's hand becoming tighter. She had regained consciousness not too long ago, awakening in a state of confusion. She had even forgotten who she was, or what happened before she lost consciousness. She had this memory of Amara, of being tortured and imprisoned, but she couldn't remember exactly what for. God had simply told her that He'd rescued her and that she would be safe. She believed Him and took comfort in His presence. Now they were both present in front of the archangels.

"Be at ease, my sons," God ordered. "Sophia here will not harm you."

They sheathed their weapons, now eyeing her curiously, though their curiosity could not outdo hers. She looked at everything as though it was the first time she saw anything and this would be partially true – she couldn't remember all the times that God had shown her what His universe was like. Truth is, God intended for it to be this way. He kept her in ignorance out of love, and also because He hoped somehow to do away with Khaos' nonsensical rules.

He invited Lucifer to step forward, using His son's essence to purify and stabilise Sophia. Her dark essence now resembled that of light, and her form had a tan complexion with rosy undertones. She was as beautiful as she was before, only now she was a different kind of being altogether. The brothers looked on in awe as she took shape, her feminine form entrancing them. All except Raphael. He knew exactly who she was… what she was. And it made him uncomfortable. No doubt Sophia's crossing would have a huge cost, yet Father expected all of them to just be welcoming to her? No way, Raphael was having none of that.

Lucifer, on the other hand, looked like he wanted _all_ of that. His jaw dropped when he saw what she had become. The fluttering of her eyelashes held him in a daze – seemed like she had that effect on every red-eyed being in all the universes. She too returned the flirtatious gaze, excited to be in a new world and be eagerly received. In her mind, there was no one named Athreya – she had no recollection of the anti-archs, the cruarchs, the lower creatures, or even her home. God had seen to that.

God took notice of the seductive eye contact between His favourite son and His favourite niece. He sighed internally. This was what He wanted, wasn't it? But Khaos said that a being produced from Sophia's essence would be the price of her crossing. He looked at the two kids. They would be madly in love. It wouldn't be fair to them to just take away something of their own making. God rarely made irrational decisions, but this time, He did. He would make it unlawful for them to mate. He didn't tell them yet, since He didn't see the need to at the time, although he would eventually. He'd felt bad about it over the years, but it was the best that He could do to protect His children from the worst heartbreak – a heartbreak that He'd put His own sister through nonetheless.

God cleared His throat, interrupting their moment. He introduced the archangels to Sophia. Lucifer had glowing skin and a playful gaze, his scarlet eyes and hair shining in the sunlight. Michael had a silvery metallic form, and Raphael's was similarly metallic, but bronze in colour instead. Gabriel, the youngest of the archangels, had a glass-like complexion. God instructed Michael to show Sophia around, and stood back to let the brothers welcome their newest family member.

"Nice to meet you." Lucifer took Sophia's hand and kissed it. She blushed slightly.

"The pleasure is mine." Sophia let him hold her hand a while longer.

Gabriel's eyes flickered between the two of them before he inserted himself between them. "Will you play with me, Sophia?"

Lucifer rolled his eyes. "No one's got the energy for you, Gabe," he teased.

Gabriel pouted at his brother. Sophia chuckled. "I'd love to."

"Alright brothers, that's enough. Father asked me to show her around," Michael stepped between his brothers. His own cheeks flushed upon seeing Sophia. He extended a hand towards her. "Shall we?"

Lucifer backed away, slightly discouraged by his brother's advances. Or rather, what he perceived to be his brother's advances. But that wouldn't stop him from trying to get closer to her. While Michael and Sophia took off, Raphael stared with a feeling of despair. Lucifer noticed this as he stepped away from Michael. Raphael had said nothing so far. It was so unlike him, but Lucifer thought nothing of it.

* * *

Michael held her hand as they both flew around, with him introducing to her the various parts of Heaven. Angels watched eagerly as they walked together down the hallways in God's office in the capital, Imperium. They greeted her with smiles and hellos, and she reciprocated, grateful for the cordial atmosphere. Something in her just didn't sit well with mass adoration and idolisation like what she experienced back home – she preferred to be left to her ways, which was what made her job in Heaven much simpler. The angels gushed about how good they looked together, though they must have thought Michael couldn't hear them. This, of course, wasn't the case. Michael's flushed cheeks were proof. Sophia pretended to be oblivious to such things. She was still trying to figure herself out; she didn't need someone else's attention.

"So what is it that you and your brothers do here?" Sophia inquired while she was seated in Michael's office.

"We basically run the place. Father created everything and set the rules and laws of what we do, but He wants us to learn to take care of things ourselves," he answered. "I oversee administrative matters. Raphael is the healer so he takes care of medical issues. Gabriel's still too young to be doing this stuff so we mostly just let him do whatever he wants." Michael's lips creased upwards when he talked about Gabriel. "Lucifer manages the army and other executive affairs."

"Sounds like Lucifer has to be strict when dealing with angels a lot," Sophia wondered out loud.

"Yeah but… he's a lot more than his duty. I have to warn you; my younger brother can be mischievous when he wants to be so watch yourself around him." Michael grinned.

"Will do," Sophia gave him a two-finger salute.

"About your duties, God said you are to be the keeper of knowledge and a caregiver. There's a lot of flexibility in what you can do, so do you have any ideas on where you might want to start?"

Her eyes lit up. Possibilities raced through her mind. "I'd like to study creation, academically. I think it would be good to catalogue everything there is for reference and understand it better. Also, caregiving sounds like it may overlap with Raphael's work so I might visit him and see where I could supplement his duties."

"Sounds great. Father did always say that 'Creation is a science'. Get started on what you want to do and report to me your progress. You won't have to report for very long, though – just till I'm sure you can handle things on your own." Michael stood up, extending his hand. "Good to have you on the team, Sophia."

Sophia returned the handshake. "The pleasure is all mine, Michael."

* * *

Sophia exited the grand building where all their offices were. She was alone, with the exception of angels who were busily bustling about, doing important things. She just wanted to look around, as she stood near a giant fountain that stood in the centre of a circle which was surrounded by large office buildings with gold reinforcements, marble walls and crystalline windows. She sat at the ledge of the fountain, peering into the clear crystal liquid. Solid crystals flowed smoothly like they were water, glistening majestically under the sunlight. Something was so unfamiliar for Sophia to see beings so active under sunlight, since she had been used to a world where sunlight was shunned and work was done in the night. But that was all behind her now, she told herself. This was a new beginning, and she would be grateful. Her fingers ran through the liquid and glowed brightly when she pulled them out. She stared at it, enamoured, while angels shot her curious looks and then went back to whatever they were doing.

She wandered into a garden, where plants and animals grew freely. Her hands ran through leaves and flowers while she inhaled their sweet aroma. Finding them curious, she picked some samples. Just as she was looking around to see if she wanted to collect anything else, a sad whimper caught her attention. Her eyes shifted downwards, finding the irresistible face of what could be classified as a cat in human terms. Of course, cats didn't exist yet – they had to be domesticated from wilder species to become what we know as cats today. This adorable feline was small enough to be carried in her arms, and had long, hard hairs that softened when it purred and hardened when it felt threatened. It also had patches of red spots interspersed in its mostly-black outer covering.

"And who might you be?" Sophia picked up the creature, holding it up such that it was face to face with her. Staring into her eyes, it simply purred. She laughed. "You look like you could use a treat."

Samples in one hand, and the creature in another, she went back upstairs to her office. Good thing that windows were abundant on every floor – angels could simply fly up to wherever they were going rather than take the stairs. Setting her items on the table, she bustled around the room to collect basic instruments to begin her investigation. The 'cat' looked at her with eyes that were a mixture of orange and green, a look so irresistible that she had to pet it. She rubbed it gingerly behind the ears and neck. More purring suggested that the thing really enjoyed it. That's when she noticed a small bulge at the side of its neck. Pressing gently on it, she found that some kind of liquid oozed out. Further investigation of a small sample of the liquid suggested that it was some kind of poison, possibly a way of fending off predators and escaping tight situations. But in that case, the creature did not originate in the garden; someone took it away from its natural habitat. She set aside her tools, petting the creature again while contemplating the ethics of doing such a thing. The 'cat' fed eagerly on the seeds she picked up from the garden which she held in her hand. "There you go, good girl."

As she was doing this, someone walked past the open door, then stopped to peer into her office. "What are you doing?" he asked. "That's my Tanjar."

"Oh uh… I'm sorry, Lucifer. I didn't know she was yours," Sophia got up, holding the creature in her hands as she approached the door.

"Here, Mona, come here girl," he beckoned. The Tanjar pounced onto him from her arms, purring at the embrace of her owner. He chuckled as it climbed up his arms with agility and settled on his bare shoulders. His arm reached up to rub her back.

"Mona, huh? That's what you're calling this creature that you _kidnapped_?" Sophia asked softly, but slightly accusatorily. Her arms were folded.

"Kidnapped? No, I rescued her. She was trapped all alone among a pack of predators. I took one look at her and- who could resist this face?" He now held Mona against his cheek, hoping Sophia would not mind what he had done.

"Well she wasn't built for domestication. She has protective instincts of her own. That's nature. We aren't meant to intervene. It's best that you return her to her home," Sophia advised.

Lucifer looked sad. "This is her home. She's free to roam and feast in the garden without any predators hunting her. I'm sure she can stay."

"And what are you going to do when her poison sacs aren't being used regularly? They could act up and do God-knows-what. It's an accident waiting to happen." Sophia looked at poor Mona again. It looked sullen, like it realised the truth of what she was saying. "And she's all alone, Lucifer. Her family's still in the wild. Think about it, because it's your responsibility."

Lucifer paused to stare at her features. This is the point where he'd normally snap at the person lecturing him on what he should and should not do, but the smooth features of this beautiful angel calmed his ego. He simply nodded. "Okay, noted. _Ma'am_."

Sophia gave him a soft smile that melted his heart, or whatever alternative angels had. "Thank you." She returned to her table, continuing her work.

* * *

The infirmary was quiet, save a few angels who had gone too hard at it in training. It smelled of disinfectant and medicine. Raphael attended to an angel, prescribing rest and medication as Sophia arrived. She raised a hand to say hello as he spotted her, but he seemed to be uneasy in her presence. He simply finished what he was doing and got back to his office as she followed. "What can I do for you today?" he asked cordially, showing no emotion.

"I was just wondering if you'd be okay with me tagging along with you and find out more about what you do here? I thought it might help with my work." She wanted to converse casually but it seemed like Raphael wasn't giving her the opening to do so.

Raphael pulled up some papers and began writing on them. "How so?" He remained absorbed in his work, not making eye contact with her.

"I am beginning to catalogue living things and explore their various properties. I thought that learning about the needs of angels could help narrow my investigation to pragmatic properties. That way, we could use more effective medicine or tools that could help us."

"Hm." Raphael put down his pen and looked at her. "It seems to me that you're still at the preliminary stages of your work, right?"

"Yes…"

"You've only been here a few months. You probably don't even know about the current level of knowledge we have amassed. I suggest you get more familiar with what we already know about creation and medicine before you come to me. I can't be spending all my time teaching you everything from the basics."

"I understand… but that will take forever and it's just putting off something that could be beneficial for all of us. I could catch up, like you say, and learn some new things alongside that," she bargained.

Raphael sighed. "It must be nice, being carefree like you are with your unstructured explorations, but I'm afraid some of us do more important work that needs our careful attention. I suggest you come prepared with information next time. I can't help you otherwise."

It stung Sophia to hear that he didn't think what she did was important, but she didn't want to argue the point. It seemed like Raphael had already made up his mind and she didn't want to increase tensions between them. She simply nodded and stormed out of the infirmary.

She stood at the balcony overlooking the training yard, where angels were engaged in combat to learn to fight. Lucifer spotted her from afar, while he was talking to one of the generals. He couldn't miss the flare of her golden wings. Finishing up what he was saying to the generals, he dismissed them and approached her. "Didn't expect to find you here. What brings you around these parts?"

"Oh just… This is… interesting," she managed an excuse. She didn't really choose this spot for any specific reason; she just wanted to observe something to get her mind off Raphael's rudeness. She knew that if she brought up what was really on her mind, she could stir up some trouble with the archangels.

Lucifer beamed. "This is what I do here. I take charge of their training and prepare them for war." He was proud to talk about his profession.

"War against what, exactly? It doesn't seem like there's much opportunity to use these skills." Sophia then realised she must have sounded rude, dismissing what he did like that, similarly to what Raphael had done to her earlier. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to undermine what you do."

"No, no, I get your doubts. I didn't believe in it as much at first, either. But Father always said that we are the guardians of our universe. And to guard creation, we should be able to deal with threats in whatever way we can, and that includes combat. I ensure that we are ready when the time comes." Lucifer appreciated her honesty. He scanned her expression, finding that she was convinced. "But on the side, I also like to wander around the less-acknowledged parts of home, like the vast forests and mountains. And what a coincidence – I heard you liked traversing the woods too."

"That I do," she replied eagerly.

"Great, then I can show you around sometime. I know some interesting spots that will fascinate you."

She eased up a bit. "You're sure you can fascinate me? I can be a tough one to surprise, you know," she teased.

"I accept the challenge," he boldly rebutted. "Tomorrow night, then?"

"Night?"

"I thought you might prefer the darkness of the night since you… you know… came from the Darkness… But it's alright if you prefer daytime too." He worried that he might have said something to offend her.

But she appreciated his sensitivity. "It's alright, thanks. Night it is."

His dimples were a reassuring sight. He was excited to have scored a date with her. Grinning to himself, he went back to his work and so did Sophia.


	6. The Woods

Sophia's Memories

 **Chapter 6: The Woods**

Lucifer waited in the moonlight. The forest was quiet. Most animals went to sleep. It was peaceful… and romantic. His face lit up when he saw Sophia arrive, but then his enthusiasm dimmed when he saw that she wasn't alone. She'd arrived with Gabriel.

"What's the little scamp doing here?" He kept his tone playful.

"I promised him I'd bring him around with me when I went to the forests and since we were going, I thought it would be nice to bring him along. I hope that's okay," she replied pleadingly.

"Sure, no problem." He eyed his younger brother. "Just don't force us to turn back when you realise you're too tired to be staying past your bedtime."

"I'm not a cherub anymore, Lucifer! I don't need to sleep!" Gabriel protested. "Not as much anyways…"

"Oh look at that, he's so cute when he thinks he's all grown up…" Lucifer teased. Gabriel stuck his tongue out at his older brother. "Follow me."

Sophia and Gabriel trailed behind Lucifer as he led the way deeper and deeper into the forest. "So how's your work coming along, Sophia?" Lucifer inquired.

"Oh it's great, but these things take time. Truth doesn't reveal itself quickly."

"Wiser words have never been spoken."

"Well… I think I have a long way to go before that…" she replied humbly.

"Beautiful, smart _and_ modest… you couldn't have been made better."

She didn't respond. She was uncomfortable with this much praise. Gabriel sensed her apprehension and interrupted. "So where are you taking us, brother?"

"It wouldn't be much of a surprise if I told you now, would it?"

They soon entered a clearing. There was a pond which was surrounded by small plants and rocks, and nocturnal insects buzzed around. "I don't get it, what's special about this place?" Gabriel asked.

Lucifer stared at Sophia. He took her hands, surprising her, and led her to the pond, their legs immersed in the cool water. "Sophia, just relax and do what I do," he instructed. Taking a deep breath, he focussed and released energy from his ice-cold core into the surroundings. Sophia burnt warm, but she performed the same action without affecting the results that much. The environment here was very reactive to their presence. When they released a little bit of energy, little spots on everything around them began to glow, their luminescence casting a dim light on the archangels.

"Wow, this is…" Sophia looked around slowly at the neon environment. "This is amazing." She let go of his hands and knelt into the water, picking up pebbles and observing their glow. "You did not fail to surprise." She made a mental note to herself to come back here to study this setting.

"So… do you want to hang out more?" Lucifer looked at her expectantly.

Sophia was indeed interested to see more mysterious places like this in Heaven. "Sure, why not." The three of them stayed there till the pebbles lost their glow. They sat under a tree at the centre of the pond, which had hanging branches that had glowing spots too. Lucifer couldn't take his eyes off her. Being someone new, she was a mystery to him, a riddle he wanted to solve. He followed her gaze as she observed the glow pattern of a frog, forehead creased in focus. Gabriel, on the other hand, was feeling a little left out and wanted some attention.

He looked up into the tree and found a perfect ploy to get his older brother and Sophia to notice him. "Look, there's a fruit in that tree! Can you get it for me?" he demanded.

"You've got wings, you get it!" Lucifer waved his hand dismissively.

"No, it's okay," Sophia caressed Gabriel's cheek affectionately. "It's just a fruit. I'll get it." She got up and scanned the tree, figuring out the best way to scale it. She didn't like using her wings when she didn't need to. Cautiously, she placed her hands on the tree and leapt up, her legs gripping the bark. Likewise, she quickly made her way to a branch, crawling along it till she reached a fruit. "Catch it," she yelled from her position as she knocked a fruit down. With a joyous leap, Gabriel caught the fruit in his hands, gleefully giggling. Seeing that, Lucifer relaxed and smiled. It was nice that she was sweet to his little brother. Now hanging from the branch with one hand, she dropped gracefully back down, making barely any noise.

Gabriel bit into the fruit. "Tastes great. Do you want to try it?" He held out the fruit.

She chuckled. "Sure." She took a bite. "A little sweet for my taste, but it's alright." She looked to Lucifer. "Try it."

He obliged. "Not bad," he commented. He ruffled Gabriel's hair, making him laugh.

* * *

Sophia knocked on the door to Michael's office. "Come in," he beckoned. "Do sit."

"Last year's report: progress is fast. I've looked through practically everything in the first sector of Heaven. Rough descriptions and pictures are available, and research is recommended to explore the properties of plants and fungi," Sophia reported.

"Hmm…" Michael leaned back into his chair. "Good to hear. Carry on with what you're doing, and report to me every month."

She tilted her head. "Every month? Isn't that a bit too frequent? You'd get tired of seeing me," she teased.

Michael grinned. "I don't think that's possible, Sophia. It's alright if there isn't much to report. I'd appreciate the visit nonetheless."

"Your curse, Michael." They shared a laugh.

"Speaking of which, have you talked to Raphael about your interest in tagging along with him?"

"I did, but he doesn't seem too optimistic about it."

"My brother can be hard-headed when he wants to be, but I'm sure you'll grow on him. Give him some time."

"Sure thing, boss." She gave him a warm smile and got up to leave. Michael watched as she walked through the door. She seemed noble and kind, as well as passionate to find her own unique place among angels. He could respect that, despite finding her aversion to social contact absurd. But he would give her time. After all, she was pleasant to be around, meaning he wanted to be around her more, hence the monthly reports. He smiled faintly at the prospect of entertaining her, thinking of things they could do together before he abruptly stopped himself and got back to work.

* * *

God sighed. "What else could I have done?" He moved the chess piece forward.

"I don't know, God, but what about mind your own business?" Death countered His move with another piece. "You could have avoided this whole mess if you'd just left the child to come to her senses on her own."

"But I could just see it in her eyes… she didn't want what Amara had set up for her. And look at her now. She's so happy and so are my sons." God stared at the sunrise through the balcony.

"Most of them anyway." Death paused to observe God's demeanour. He'd never been afraid to speak his mind to God, since their friendship had lasted for so long. Khaos, Amara and God had all existed together from the beginning. Upon the first act of creation, when Life was first conceived, Death was generated by Khaos to keep the balance. His three younger siblings, the other Horsemen of the Apocalypse would also be generated by Khaos as part of the apocalyptic prophecy, but that would come later.

"Raphael will become accustomed to it. He just needs some time. He's strong enough." God moved another piece.

"For your sake, I hope so. What you did created an irreversible aberration. Nothing will be the same, or as they were intended anymore. It will start with small changes, like Raphael's behaviour. Then it will manifest in a series of events that will end in chaos, just as It intended." Another chess piece was displaced.

"I think you're exaggerating," God rebutted. "Khaos doesn't have anything to gain from this. What does It care about the squabble between Amara and me? It's only existed to keep the balance between us, regardless of whether we like each other or not."

"Don't be so sure. I think it is dubious that It allowed you to bring Sophia over in the first place. What did It want in return? A being of both Light and Darkness?"

"Yes, It wants to keep the balance that was lost." God lowered His gaze, uncomfortable with the implications. "If we give It what It wants, the effects surely will not be as bad as you say."

"Somehow I suspect that it doesn't work that way. Come to think about it, how did you find Sophia in the first place?"

"I found her peeking across the veil." God wondered what Death was getting at.

"How convenient…"

"It was a coincidence that I happened to be nearby when she wandered away from Amara long enough to be there."

"Are you sure? Because last time I checked, coincidences don't happen. Especially to beings like us." Death leaned back in his chair.

"What are you implying, Death?"

"I can't be certain, but I suspect Khaos is playing a game of Its own. Sophia is just a pawn. I'd be careful if I were you."

God was already unwilling to go through with the promise He'd made to Khaos, but Death's doubts now gave him an excuse to forgo it entirely. "I see what you mean. I know what I need to do now. I can't give Khaos what It wants, then. I can't allow my sons to create anything with her." God nodded, agreeing with Himself. If He could have it all, He would.

"That wasn't what I said…" Death trailed off. He sighed. He should have known that his advice would fall on deaf ears, like they always do. "You can't control your sons, just like Amara couldn't control Her daughter. Especially with regards to such… carnal desires."

"No, I'm pretty sure my sons will obey me. And so will Sophia." Death shook his head. God was making the same miscalculation that Amara made, and He was going to face similar consequences. But it wasn't like God was going to listen to him. Why were all omnipotent beings so self-righteous?

"Tell me, what will you do when Khaos demands you give It what is owed to It?"

"I don't know. I'll think about it when the time comes. I just want to enjoy being with my family." They continued their game of chess.

* * *

"Ready or not, here I come!" Sophia opened her eyes. Her gaze scanned the trees and bushes. Slowly, she crept through the undergrowth, fine-tuning her senses to pick any movement or sights of a little archangel. "Are you…" she swiftly pushed a large leaf away. "Here?" This revealed a sparse patch of ground, but no Gabriel. Suddenly a rustling noise came from behind her and she spun around, but she saw no one. A contagious giggle echoed, but she couldn't pinpoint where it came from.

"You can't catch me!" he taunted. Above. It came from above. Sophia lifted up the long end of her dress and tied it tightly around her waist, revealing her slender legs. She expertly climbed the tree, settling on a branch as she looked around again. Aha – some leaves rustled in the distance. The trees were many deep shades of green, the natural environment of Sophia's aura. Here she was no separate entity from the life around her. Like an agile jaguar, she moved faster on all fours, silently reaching where she guessed Gabe would be. As she parted a thin branch, victory appeared before her. Little Gabe was peeking down below him, anticipating that she would have taken a ground route.

Sophia reached out a hand to tap him on his shoulder. Excited to catch him by surprise, she'd forgotten to take note of her surroundings, shifting her weight carelessly such that a branch cracked, alerting him to her presence. He yelped when he saw her, and took off in a dash. "Oh no you don't!" Sophia was on his heels, moving as fast as her limbs would allow her. Finally, Gabriel entered a clearing in which he swung on a vine to a tree across the clearing. In a bold fashion, Sophia attempted to do the same, but the branch from which the vine hung gave way under her weight and broke off. She fell through leaves and branches below, noisily falling. A short scream escaped her lips as she succumbed to the pull of gravity, waiting to feel the sharp sting of the impact with the ground. Yet, the sting never came.

There was little pain, but a cry of agony resounded nonetheless. "Ow!" It wasn't her voice. Disoriented initially, Sophia felt around. She felt ground, but she also felt something else – an arm partially wrapped around her. Her head lifted up to see what had happened. She came upon the face of a pained Lucifer, who was now pressing his other hand to his head, whilst lifting himself up. They both groaned.

"Lucifer? What are you doing here?" She picked herself up and lent him a hand.

"Cushioning your fall, apparently." He grabbed onto her hand, pulling himself up. "You should use those pretty little wings of yours more often."

Sophia chuckled. "Yes, I should. I'm sorry about this."

Lucifer recovered from the pain. This was not what he expected when he decided to stalk her. "No, it serves me right for intruding in one of Gabe's games. Kid never fails to make a mess."

"Hey, I heard that!" Gabe's cheeky face emerged from the trees as he joined them. He went up to Sophia and hugged her, his head resting on her waist as his tiny hands encircled her. "I'm sorry about that, Sophia. Can we have a rematch?"

"Aww…" Sophia picked him up and embraced him while he sat snugly on her hips. "Of course we can."

"Not right now though," Lucifer placed his hands on his hips. "Someone has combat lessons."

"Does he now?" she asked, grinning at Gabe.

"Luci's going to teach me to fight, finally!" the little archangel preened. He climbed down Sophia and held his brother's hand.

"You should come observe us. You could learn something too," Lucifer suggested.

Sophia paused. She wasn't really the fighting type. It was just… too serious for her. "Maybe another time. I should probably get back to work anyway."

"Alright," he nodded. "But if you want to drop by, we'll be at the private training yards in Imperium."

Saying goodbyes, the trio parted. Sophia was alone in the forest. Or so she thought. Unbeknownst to them, stalking them silently in the cover of the trees, Raphael watched everything. He couldn't help but be suspicious of her. He was unsure what he would find but he became restless just waiting for something bad to happen. He felt like he needed to do something about it. However, nothing Sophia did seemed worthy of alarm. Yet. It was concerning that Lucifer had taken such an interest with her, but it wasn't like he could just tell his brother to back off without raising suspicion on himself. He continued watching as Sophia explored the woods, stopping for long periods of time to simply stare at various specimens of life.


	7. The Case of Mona

Sophia's Memories

 **Chapter 7: The Case of Mona**

The door swung wide open. He rushed in, a furry bundle in his arms and placed a firm hand on her table. She looked up, disturbed from her train of thought. "Do come in, Lucifer. I'm not busy or anything," Sophia welcomed him.

"This is an emergency!" He gingerly laid Mona on the table. "Something's wrong with her."

"Oh dear." Sophia wasted no time in feeling the creature, seeking abnormalities. And she did find some – swollen regions around her neck. "Has she been eating properly?"

"No. I offered her favourite snack and she didn't even budge!"

"That's never a good sign."

He sighed. "It's what you said isn't it? About her not being suited for domestication?"

"I'm afraid so." Sophia pulled out a scalpel. "You might want to hold her down for this. It's going to hurt."

His face contorted with worry as he obliged, tenderly placing a palm on her head and back. Leaning in close to Mona, Sophia carefully felt for the swollen regions and held the skin taut to make a small incision. The poor little thing squirmed uncomfortably under the knife, making shrieking noises. "Oh it'll just be a bit, Mona. It'll be alright," he reassured her.

Pressing lightly, she pushed out excess poison from the swollen area. She did the same thing for a few more regions until the swelling had decreased. "And… that's it." Sophia wiped Mona clean and rubbed ointment onto the incisions. Mona purred in relief, and then passed out from the pain. "We need to release her into the wild."

Lucifer solemnly nodded. He gathered the adorable furry bundle in his arms and they both set off. "This is where I found her." He pointed to the riverbank. Crystal clear water flowed in a gentle current. Smooth rocks bordered the river, extending into the forest. Mona was coming to at this point, slowly rousing from her deep sleep. The sounds and smells must have been familiar to her, since her head rose, her eyes eagerly looking at the surroundings. Her tiny paws reached for the ground when Lucifer set her down. For a moment, her eyes regarded the both of them with surprise.

Sophia bent down to pet Mona one last time. "Go on now, you're home." Mona treaded towards Lucifer and circled between his legs, rubbing against them affectionately, before she turned towards the trees. To their surprise, they had a small audience of Tanjars of various sizes which now watched from a safe distance in the forest. Upon seeing them, Mona went back to them and the family was reunited, exchanging relieved purrs and furry embraces.

Lucifer and Sophia sat with their legs immersed in the water, throwing pebbles into the river lazily. "I'll miss her," he began.

"She'll be happy where she came from," Sophia consoled him.

"Yeah, I know, but still…" he stole a glance at Sophia, who eyed the water. She looked radiant in that moment, the reflected glimmer from the flowing water making her look more stunning. "Thanks for helping me with this."

The edge of her mouth curved up slightly as she looked to him with those emerald green eyes. Like a feather caressing her cheek, a lock of her walnut-coloured hair fell past her ear. "You're welcome," she replied, her gentle gaze bearing into him with all the force of a supernova. She pretended not to notice him staring at her like he was always surprised. In fact, she was used to getting stares from angels everywhere she went. She couldn't figure out what was up with them and sometimes this made her self-conscious. But with Lucifer, she didn't feel like she would be hurt or made uncomfortable in any way. After all, he seemed to enjoy showing her around Heaven so that had to mean he didn't feel negatively about her right? Not like Raphael?

"Lucifer," she began.

"Hm?" He was snapped out of his daze.

"I need to meet Uncle now," she announced.

"Oh uh… right." They both got up, Sophia holding onto him to stand. Ever since Lucifer's essence was used to ground Sophia to this universe, their touch had a comforting familiarity to it. It should have been obvious to anyone that this was meant to be, their union, but at that point in time they were both clueless, acting only on their natural instincts. For a moment, their wings touched and her golden feathers gently entwined with his white ones, which had red and gold specks dispersed along the length of his wings. She flashed him another warm smile and then she was off, leaving Lucifer to wonder what emotion he had just experienced.

* * *

The clash of swords echoed in the private training yards. Lucifer was rejuvenated from his brief encounter with Sophia. His strikes became stronger and more aggressive, with Michael barely keeping up to block his strikes. With a swift change in weapon-bearing arm, Lucifer struck one more time to knock his brother's broadsword to the ground. The tip of his scimitar pressed to Michael's neck, Lucifer stood victorious.

"First time you've beaten me in ages. Nicely done," Michael praised.

"There's more where that came from. Don't you worry, brother," Lucifer taunted.

"We'll see about that." They both returned their weapons to their respective weapon racks, taking a break from the lengthy sparring session. They shook hands, as was their custom, before retreating to a lounge where they occasionally relaxed together while staring down at the city.

"So how's everything going with the new transfers between the departments?" Lucifer asked, while he sipped on a luxury drink.

"It's been tough trying to figure out a niche for some of the angels, but some of them just want to try new things so that postpones the final decision. Makes it easier for me, I guess. How's Father? Where did He take you that other time?"

Lucifer grinned. "He showed me how to move the mountains. And then He gave me a new blade. It was beautiful. Real shiny too." He loved being the favourite son.

"Lucky you. Some of us _work_ to get noticed by Father." Maybe Michael was a bit bitter about the whole situation, but he loved his family nonetheless and wanted to earn God's attention the right way. And then there was something else on his mind. "Hey, what kind of flowers do you think Sophia likes?"

Lucifer set down his glass. "What? Come again?"

"I'm meeting her in two days to discuss her work and I was just wondering what kind of flowers she likes. Do you have an answer or not?" Michael's cheeks flared, though Lucifer didn't notice because he was trying his best to keep a neutral expression.

"I don't know, flowery flowers? I don't think she's picky about them."

"Right." An uncomfortable silence ensued.

"Are you trying to impress her?" Lucifer finally collected his thoughts.

"No… yes… maybe. I don't know, okay?" Michael stammered. Lucifer had never seen his brother stammer like that.

"She does have that effect on people." He tried to be understanding. They didn't have to fight over a female.

"I just want to get to know her, that's all," Michael explained.

"Don't we all? Just don't fall too hard, Mike."

* * *

"You called, Uncle?" Sophia set foot on Earth for the first time.

God beamed, clearly pleased to see her. He was casually walking the Earth, checking on his newest creations. He'd just created the first amino acid not too long ago, in the presence of all the angels who celebrated the act. The amino acid, a subunit of proteins, is known to be the unit of life, for it is essential for terrestrial life forms to develop. Now, He had spurred on the formation of cyanobacteria, hoping to trigger The Great Oxygenation Event.

"I just wanted to know how you're settling in," He answered, His hand running through her hair and resting on her neck, from where His thumb stroked her cheek lovingly.

Her eyes sparkled as she smiled warmly, receptive to His affectionate touch. "I'm doing fine. Couldn't be happier," she remarked.

"That's good to hear. I am told that you have been very productive of late. How much have you learnt?"

"Learning is a continuous process and I can't conceive of an end to knowledge, so it would be difficult to quantify my progress," she replied earnestly.

God let out a deep laugh. "You truly are a wise one, Sophia. I am pleased by your response."

A wave of warmth washed over her. God's praise excited her and made her feel accepted for who she was. This eased her initial concerns about being accepted in Heaven quite a bit. She looked around her. Hurricanes raged along the face of the earth. The moon was still so close to earth, hence the erratic weather. Her attention was caught by these rod-like green bacteria, which piqued her curiosity. "Are those bacteria producing oxygen, Uncle?"

"Yes, these are cyanobacteria. They utilise the liquid water to release oxygen into the atmosphere." His hand gestured towards the vast expanse of ocean around them.

"But wouldn't that poison the other bacteria?" she inquired.

"It would," He replied, holding up a finger to explain. "And that is what happens in natural selection. Sometimes changes occur in the environment and these terrestrial creatures will die or survive in response to them, and better yet, this will trigger the development of new characteristics over time."

Sophia's eyes widened, excited to hear more about God's work. She had so many questions, all in awe of what God was doing here. "So when you introduce new creatures or changes like these cyanobacteria, you are trying to alter the course of evolution for all species on this planet?" He nodded. "To what end, if I may ask?"

He paused, a furtive smirk being the only clue to his jovial attitude. He placed a hand on her back, guiding her gaze to the distant horizon. The skies were cloudy and greyish, the only evidence of the sun being up the brilliant white circle showing through the thick layer of clouds on the horizon. "You see, as life evolves, it becomes more complex, with unicellular organisms becoming multicellular, and sense-less organisms developing senses. Eventually, terrestrial creatures could evolve intelligence, being able to communicate and perform activities on the level of angels, almost. Here we have an opportunity to guide the development of such a species, and shape them according to our will. Wouldn't it be fascinating to see creatures on this plane of existence who resemble us?" God asked, the enthusiasm evident in His voice. Being an avid inquirer, she would be the one to best understand Him, He thought.

"I suppose it would…" she trailed off. "But if you wanted to create beings like us, could you not just… 'create' them? Like you did the angels?"

"Well this is technically creation," God nodded. "Creation is a science, Sophia. It has to be experimented and perfected. After all, I did create the leviathans in an attempt to create angels and we all know that didn't turn out as expected."

Sophia cringed internally. She had heard of the leviathans from Gabriel. They were beastly creatures who simply wanted to feed on everything. How beings such as angels could have been the product of the same trial-and-error that created leviathans was truly a mystery. Yet, God allowed them to live because He couldn't bring Himself to destroy what had already been made. Being such a disappointment to God, they had been confined to a specific region of the Earth, where God had created a land with a water body right in the centre. This was because leviathans were mostly sea-creatures, though sometimes they emerged on land. Keeping the water body at the centre of the large continental mass ensured that they stayed within those boundaries as they preferred the water anyway. In the early days, they still managed to stir up some trouble in Heaven by luring unsuspecting angels to their dens and brutally killing and feeding on them. Eventually a PSA was passed around about the dangers of that area and the angels became wary of them. According to Gabriel, leviathans were no more than a scary bedtime story for new-born angels. _"When I grow up, I'll kick their asses!"_ Gabriel had vowed with all the cuteness of a child's voice and determination. Though she had never seen one herself, she knew the dangers and wisely decided not to pursue her curiosity about them.

"I understand," she conveyed.

"I am glad you're asking questions, Sophia. I know that your duty involves a lot of note-taking and observation, but this requires one to apply the knowledge of what general form living things can take to engineer a viable change in the direction of evolution. And if you would like to, I encourage you to come down here and help me with the evolution of life on this planet. It could be a great learning experience for you," He proposed.

"Really?" She was pleasantly surprised and flattered by the invitation. God would let her shape life on this planet that He seemed so fond of? "I'd love that. Thank you, Uncle!" She hugged Him, like she always did. God held her in His arms. This brought back memories of the times He doted on her when she was younger and on the other side of the veil. He thought of those times with a quiet enjoyment, but was quickly saddened to think that He had erased all her memories of them. _It was to protect her_ , He'd told Himself. _She is happy now._ That was all that mattered to Him. Giving her this added responsibility, this new endeavour, would help her find her place in this grand new world that He wanted to create. It was where she belonged, as a wise knowledge-bringer to this species called Humans that He wanted to make.


	8. The Nursery

Sophia's Memories

 **Chapter 8: The Nursery**

"Don't get in my way. Do what I tell you to. Stay quiet. Ask questions if you don't understand anything," Raphael went on and on with injunctions.

Sophia raised a finger, wanting to point out the contradiction in the last two orders but decided against it. Raphael advanced quickly down the hallways, visiting wards and offices to check on current and previous patients. Following closely behind, she took notes. Everything about this job was tough – she had to endure an onslaught of medical trivia from Raphael before he finally relented and allowed her to shadow him. On top of that, he expected her to administer treatments based on verbal instruction alone and his stern vibes were throwing her off.

Not all of that night was discouraging. Their final stop was the cherub ward, where little angel children rested and grew up. Sophia's eyes widened at the sight of the little bundles of joy. She wanted so badly to hold one in her arms and sing melodies to them. Raphael went by each bed and checked them for normal growth patterns on the wings and assessed their grace for viability. He seemed to express relatively little emotion for someone dealing with baby angels. Perhaps he once had, but being paranoid about who Sophia was had changed him forever. He was unable to focus on the innocence of the children.

Although all the angels were created by God, they weren't all spontaneously sparked into existence. God had created the first batch of angels, and then gave the females the ability to bear offspring, which they only utilised when they chose to become one of the _Gravidas,_ and mated with other angels. God had to bless the newly-created angel during the fetal growth, otherwise the grace would not be viable and there was a high chance of the child dying. This ensured that God technically created and allowed all angels to exist. There was even a grand ceremony in which God would bless all the _Gravidas_ together, a symbol of fertility and happiness in Heaven. Technically, gracelines did exist in Heaven, similar to blood lineages for humans, but all records of gracelines were kept top secret so as to prevent tribalism and allow for all angels to get along as one big family. For the most part, they just pretended that gracelines didn't exist.

Raphael's tight demeanour wouldn't stop Sophia from cooing at the cherubs and tickling them. She couldn't help herself. Just as they were about to enter the ward with the slightly older angels, the prancing figure of a young Gabriel interrupted them. "Oh hey bro," he greeted as he knocked into Raphael. The elder archangel brandished a grin for the first time that day, glancing down with a warmth emanating in his core at his clumsy brother. Gabriel then spotted Sophia not too far behind him and ran towards her. "Sophia!" he embraced her tightly, his hands encircling her thighs. Raphael was slightly disheartened by this, though he tried his best not to show it because that would make him feel vulnerable. It wasn't his fault that Gabriel loved Sophia's warmth and comfortable form. It made her a great target for hugs.

"Woah, hey slugger," she picked him up and sat him on her waist. "You're growing fast! Soon you'll be taller than me and I won't be able to pick you up anymore." She mimicked a disappointed expression, though she would be proud to see him mature and become a strong archangel like his brothers.

"Then I'll carry you!" he giggled.

"Is that so?" she probed.

"I promise." He threw his arms around her neck, kissing her on the cheek.

"What brings you here, Gabe?" Raphael broke their conversation.

"I was just hanging out with the other angels, showing them cool tricks and stuff," he answered. "There's a bet going around for who can tell the scariest story. And Lucifer's in there, by the way. I think he's going to use the same leviathan story he told me. I keep telling him that it's not going to work because he's said it like a million times already but you know him. He doesn't listen."

"If it's so good, I'd like to hear this story…" Sophia confessed.

"We have work to do, Sophia," Raphael warned. "We need to do our check-ups on the angels. There's no time for this."

"Oh come on, Raphie," Gabe pleaded. "It's Sophia's first time hearing Lucifer's leviathan story!"

Raphael sighed, not wanting to waste any more time and make sure that his job gets done and that Sophia gets to see his routine so that he wouldn't have to spend any more time with her.

"Pleeeeaaaaaaa…" Gabriel went on. "..ssssseee…-"

"Alright!" Raphael cut him off. "Just one little story, okay? Then all of the angels, including you, Gabe, go to sleep. We can do our check-up tomorrow," he instructed, eyeing Sophia. She nodded in acceptance, giving Raphael a toothy grin as thanks for his concession.

All the little angels crowded around Lucifer as his hands made wild gestures in accordance with his fluctuating tone which told the riveting story of the time he encountered hostile leviathans. He was seated at the centre of the room, where there was a clearing free of beds. The young angels seemed absolutely enthralled by his storytelling. Sophia leaned against the threshold of the door and Gabriel ran to his brother, who allowed him to sit on his lap as he continued his story. Raphael stood silently behind Sophia, observing. "… in the water. Something was moving in it and me, I was just a young one, just like all of you but maybe a bit older and bigger. I didn't know any better about what to expect. It could have been little Gabriel for all I knew!" He ruffled Gabe's hair. The angels giggled.

"And so I stood on the edge of the water, peering into its deep… _depths_ …" his scarlet eyes narrowed to convey mystery. "I just had to find out, you know, what it was. So I knelt down and I went closer to the water…" he leaned forward, imitating the action of bringing his face closer to the surface of the water. "And then BAM!" The angels shuddered. "I was knocked backwards. And when I looked up… I saw this creature. It was so… _ugly_ and _disgusting_ -looking. Think of the ugliest thing you can imagine. And then make it uglier! That was what this… beast was like. And it had these large, sharp teeth that shined in the moonlight. It was… _a Leviathan_!" An angel gasped. "It looked at me with this hunger. Like it hadn't eaten anything for years! And you know what Leviathans are like… they get real angry when they don't get anything to eat. So it looked at me like it was ready to rip into me and it brought up its hands which had these menacing claws…" he raised his own hands and curled in his fingers to resemble claws.

"I thought that was it for me. I didn't have my blade, and I was on my back on the ground. It growled with this low, deep voice. I shifted back, scrambling to get away and then I turned onto my front so that I could crawl away faster. But then… it grabbed my foot and pulled me back!" The angels stared at him with wide-eyes, eagerly waiting for his continuation. Some of them gaped, totally captivated by the tale. They leaned in closer to him, desiring the relief of his victorious struggle against the leviathan, some angels huddling onto the backs of their friends to get closer to Lucifer, some even hugging others' wings. "But lucky for me, I'm crafty," Lucifer gently tapped his forehead with a finger. Raphael rolled his eyes.

"As I dug my nails into the Earth, my hands found this large stone. Quickly spinning onto my back, I hurled the stone at the thing's face and it yelled, letting me go. I took the chance and I bolted, running as far as I could. The leviathan chased me, but it wasn't alone. Now its family joined in and there was a whole _horde_ of leviathans chasing me. They were fast. They came so close to me that I could feel their breath on my wings. One of them reached out with their dirty claws and almost scratched me! But I was faster. I took off and I soared into the night, narrowly escaping death by leviathan by virtue of my quick wings." He patted his chest with a clenched fist and looked to the ceiling, striking a majestic pose. He quickly straightened up and held up a finger to make a point. "And that's why, kiddos, you never go to the barren lands of the earth. They're barren because that's where God keeps the monsters!" he ended his vivid tale. The angels clapped in awe of Lucifer's bravery in the face of creatures they were told could eat them alive.

"My brother talks well," someone whispered behind Sophia. She turned to find Michael standing with her and Raphael. "But he exaggerates. It was I who rescued him from the horde of leviathans." Michael chuckled. "But I let him have the glory of telling a heroic story because he likes it. And so does everyone else, it seems."

Sophia huffed. "That's cute. What are you doing here?"

"I came to spend time with Lucifer but it looks like he's busy," Michael replied light-heartedly. They glanced at Lucifer, who was boldly answering questions from the angels who looked to him like he was some legend.

"Thank you, thank you," he half-bowed. "Whose turn is it next?"

Gabriel's head jerked up, looking towards Sophia. "Sophie! Tell us a story!"

The whole room turned towards her. Lucifer's face lit up when he saw her. The angels gazed at her expectantly. "Well I… I don't know," she stammered. "I don't know if my stories are scary."

"Come on over and give it a try," Lucifer beckoned with a wave of his hand.

The sounds of young angels saying "Yes" and "Please" reverberated throughout the room. With no choice but to give into the pressure, she relented. Who could say 'no' to these adorable little things (and Lucifer)? The crowd of angels parted and she sat next to Lucifer on the side unoccupied by Gabriel.

"Um… let me think…" a silence fell over the room as she collected her thoughts, carefully constructing what she wanted to say. As far as frightening experiences went, she only had her life with her Mother in mind. Or the altered version that God put in her head. "I don't know about any leviathans but let me tell you about… _The Darkness_ ," she began with a sombre voice.

"The Darkness is God's sister, and She also happens to be my Mother. Now I'm sure all of you must know how loving and caring God is… but Amara, on the other hand, was cold, unforgiving, unrelenting…" her gaze hardened as she scanned the crowd. She could tell she was making an impression. "In Her universe, everything was gloomy and grey and dark _all the time_. And that is to say nothing about the creatures that lived there." Everyone, including the archangels, listened intently to what she had to say. Even they hadn't heard about what Sophia's life was like before God saved her. "You could taste the hatred for life and the lust for murder in the very air that flowed. And this was where I was born.

"Pain could come at you from any unsuspecting corner in this world of Hers. You could be walking along the open, sandy plains and then… a seemingly innocent bolt of lightning could strike you and cut your skin. You would think you felt alright, but all the grace would flow out of you slowly. By the time you reached wherever you were going, you would feel the exhaustion weighing down on you like a boulder and soon enough, you would drop like a fly onto the ground, _dead!_ " Someone gasped. "But I digress. Let me tell you about the time I escaped.

"I told Mother that I didn't like being here. _'I can't take it anymore,'_ I said. _'And where would you go?'_ Mother said to challenge me. Whenever I said something She didn't like, I knew I could expect to be punished. And truly, Mother's wrath was something to be afraid of. After all, She did create a merciless universe. But at that moment, I didn't care. I'd had enough. So I told her, ' _I'll go to God. He'll save me!'_ and I took off. She, of course, vowed to stop me and posed so many challenges in my way. I had to run through this sandy plain which had the dangerous lightning like I mentioned before. And so I ran… and I ran… towards The Light. There were these scary voices that yelled at me to stop. They sounded so sad… so desperate… but when I turned around… there was _no one there_." She paused for dramatic effect.

"Then the winds grew stronger and stronger and I could barely put one foot against another. I certainly couldn't fly in this condition. But I kept pushing on, because I knew I wanted more than anything to get away from _Her_ ," a bitterness laced her voice. "That was when the next trial appeared. A rain fell over the land. It was no ordinary rain. It was a rain of heavy rocks. So I pushed against the wind to move forward, all while being pelted by these rocks that hit me on my wings, on my back, on my head." The angels' eyes widened and they barely made a sound. Such was their interest in knowing what happens next. She narrated the story as the images appeared in her mind, paying little heed to what it was doing to her emotionally. Raphael was intrigued as he didn't expect to hear about this side of her. Though he was armed with scepticism to seek out deception in her story, he still paid attention, wanting to hear what she had to say.

"I was getting tired. The rocks grazed my skin and opened these wounds that I didn't have the strength to heal. When I looked at the veil that connected our universes, it was still so distant. Every inch of me wanted to give up but the light, it was so full of hope and so promising. And then, I heard a deep growl…" she went into a daze, the memory so uncontrollably vivid that she couldn't help but relive those moments in great detail. "Mother had sent those hounds on me, and they were big. Almost as big as me, with their menacing growl and their jagged teeth and their enormous fur. These hounds were capable of ripping you to shreds in a matter of seconds. I was scared… I was _so_ scared… This being who was supposed to love me had sent creatures after me like a death sentence…" Sophia's voice broke. Lucifer was taken aback by this, finally realising that this story was getting too intense for a casual sharing session.

"All I could think of was how… if they got me, their teeth would sink into my flesh and tear me apart. But I wouldn't die. Not for long anyway, because Mother would resurrect me just to rub it in my face and put me through all of it again… So there I was, trying to go as fast as I could and get away from the hounds…" Tears had begun to well up in her eyes. Seeing this, Lucifer didn't want her to go on because she could break down any time soon and that would probably traumatise the little angels. He exchanged a knowing look with Michael, who thought the same thing.

"And that was when you pulled out your large sword," Lucifer interjected.

" _Huh?"_ Sophia uttered under her breath, shooting Lucifer a quizzical expression.

"Yeah, that is what you did. You pulled out a large sword and you began waving it around to scare the hounds," he kept her gaze and nodded, hoping she would understand what he was doing. "Of course, the hounds were unafraid and _foolishly_ thought they could best you. One of them even pounced on you but _you_ … oh you were so brave. You slashed and you stabbed it. The poor thing never even saw it coming! That's what they get for trying to kill you, right?"

Sophia simply averted her gaze, letting Lucifer do whatever he was doing. Her chest was so full of emotion that it threatened to overflow so she thought it best to stay silent. "That sure gave them reason to pause so you sprinted away as fast as you could, against the force of the raging winds. But they kept up, almost catching you, just like the leviathans did with me."

This time, Michael intervened, walking around the angels to where his brothers were. "And God, who had been watching this whole time, was impressed by your strength to resist and fight off these hounds. Now it was His turn to act, so He swoops in and smites the hounds, against the protests of _The Evil Darkness,_ " he added. "Seeing Him, you were grateful and He takes you in His arms and brings you home to us, where you are safe. That's how the story ends, I'm sure of it."

Applause erupted from the angels. Hope filled their faces upon hearing how Sophia overcame these brutal trials to come to the safe land of Heaven with the help of God, their father. They cheered for her, glad to know that she was chosen by God to be with them. This was enough reason for them to love and accept her and they made sure she knew it, enveloping her in an ambush of hugs. Sophia laughed when they did is, certainly not expecting this response. _So pure and full of love are they,_ she thought.

Later, Raphael ordered them to go back to their beds while Lucifer, Sophia and Michael stood outside the ward, facing the mountainous landscape beyond the windows of the building. "I'm sorry. That got a bit too personal," she apologised as she wiped a tear from her cheek.

"Hey, it's okay," Michael reassured her, his hand resting on her shoulder. "We handled it. This is why you should learn to exaggerate and change the details, like my brother does with his leviathan story."

"Hey!" Lucifer protested. "I'm trying to maintain a reputation here."

Sophia smiled. "I'll keep that in mind."

"By the way," Lucifer began. "You don't ever have to be afraid of Her. You're one of us now, and we'll protect you no matter what."

Raphael remained behind them, listening to their conversation after having put Gabriel and the angels to sleep. This made him have second thoughts about her. Maybe she wasn't so bad after all. Maybe he could grow to empathise with her and even accept his Father's actions in bringing her over. _Maybe._


	9. The New Ideas

Sophia's Memories

 **Chapter 9: The New Ideas**

"… and these creatures, they simply learn to adapt to these changes. Not individually, no, but it's the strength of the herd that confers the selective advantage to the whole species, which increases the chance of survival for future generations," Sophia explained keenly, to a wide-eyed Michael. They were sat in her office, on the same side of the desk and facing the balcony. Michael wanted to come see her himself for that month's report. What he hadn't expected, however, was to see her carried away in talking about the technicalities of creation on Earth. Once she had started, there was no stopping her and he didn't want to try – it was far more amusing to see her so enthused.

"This is all really fascinating," Michael nodded. "And this is the natural order that Father wanted?"

"It is," she smiled widely, proud of what she had learnt. "It's so counter-intuitive, isn't it?"

Michael returned the smile. "Yes, who would've thought that something as nasty as mortal death could be the mechanism of growth for these terrestrial creatures?"

Sophia's smile faded. Her eyebrows creased at the thought and Michael wondered whether what he said upset her. "It is nasty. All those creatures that vanished as quickly as they came, like they never existed. Death is a terrible thing, especially when these terrestrial beings are so limited and vulnerable to their surroundings! Oh, what suffering they must endure! Why would God allow such a thing?" her voice grew in exasperation. She put her palms to her rosy cheeks in a gesture of shock and her expression said as much.

Michael was alarmed. He had just come for tea and conversation but things had taken an unexpectedly dark turn. For beings born in Heaven and immortal, talk of death is sensitive and sometimes incomprehensible, depending on what rank of angel you were talking to. For archangels, who saw everything most clearly and felt most strongly about everything, suffering and death was not simply something that they could think about without emotion. What this emotion was, however, was subject to change over time as they experienced the suffering of other beings differently after certain significant events. "I'm sure there is a good reason," Michael reassured Sophia. "Father never does anything without a plan." He took her hand in his own, gazing into her brilliant green eyes with his own silver irises. "Pain and suffering cannot exist without meaning, just like your beauty exists to brighten up a universe in which suffering has been made possible. It's two halves of the same whole."

"Michael, please," her lips slowly inched into a smile. She shook her head shyly, averting her gaze. "Your words are too sweet."

He traced her knuckle with a thumb. "But really, I mean it. God does everything with a purpose in mind. I understand your doubt and the same line of thinking would have fazed me before…"

"But?" she probed.

"But then He brought you here. I don't think any of us could have believed that Amara was capable of anything but destruction yet somehow… a wonderful being like you came to be. You were chosen, Sophia, by God because you are _good_. I believe it now. His decision was clearly based on good judgment. I won't doubt Him ever," Michael reasoned.

Sophia was moved to tears by his sentiment. Blinking the tears away, she spoke with a choked voice, "Thank you for your kind words."

"Oh my," he noticed her eyes glisten. "I didn't mean to make you tear up." Michael rubbed her shoulder in consolation and contemplated holding her in his arms, but decided against it.

"These are not tears of sorrow," she tried to fend off his concern.

"Either way, I hope these will help," Michael brandished a vase of flowers which he'd kept around the corner of the table as he'd entered. Each flower was a different variety and had a different petal shape and colour. It made for a rather vivid gift. The vase itself was also exquisitely decorated with gold ink. It was a handiwork by a very talented angel named Rachel who was part of the team of Heavenly architects.

Sophia's eyes widened at the sight. Her mouth opened and closed a few times, unsure of what to say. "This is… this is beautiful. How thoughtful of you." She received the vase and got up, scanning the room for a good place to put it. Eventually, she settled for a small table that sat under a shelf nailed to the wall. Its psychedelic visual was an aesthetic contrast to the mysterious vibe of the neatly arranged rows of books above the table, she thought. She stepped back, taking a moment to see how it looked and admire her choice of location. She loved how the flowers gave the office, which was a strictly work-only place, a dramatic change in aura. It made it more soothing and thought-provoking, like the beauty of its appearance and fragrance could inspire more splendour on its own. Then, she got an idea. She turned to Michael, her initial apprehension fading. "Do you think it would be a good idea to decorate the citadel with plants?"

Michael chuckled. "But we already have a garden, do we not?"

"I know, but the buildings seem like such a stark contrast to it! Wouldn't it be more beautiful for the offices themselves to be intertwined with flora? Just a dash of greenery…"

"I suppose that would be nice…" he acknowledged.

"Oh I should start on it soon!" she giggled excitedly. Just as he once again began to enjoy her delighted expressions, her wings drooped and worry eclipsed her face. "Would God mind?"

"Sophia, I sincerely doubt that," he was surprised by the number of things that could worry her. Why wouldn't this gorgeous angel with the equally-alluring mind not remain happy for more than a second? All of Heaven's problems, even the ones she'd thought up in her own head, could be solved by her smile, he thought. It was his job to do the worrying anyway. Though it would be nice to share the burden with someone…

* * *

Amara stared blankly at the Veil, the partition between the two universes. What was it that Her daughter saw from here that made her leave her own home? _It was all God,_ she mused accusatively. _He manipulated her because He was jealous of what I was capable of making._ Sophia clearly outshined all of His creations, with her charm and her inquisitive mind and her innate talent to create and nurture which she herself was unaware of – Her daughter was a prize to anyone she was loyal to. More than that, Amara had intended for Sophia to be a weapon. Sophia was created in a time of emotional turmoil, when Amara felt most alienated by God. If creation was this big, beautiful thing that God made it out to be, then He should have a taste of His own medicine, She had thought. That was why Sophia was created – Amara wanted her to be a powerful being who could harness the power of the antimatter universe in order to defeat God's creations. Now it was all gone. Her hopes and dreams for this beloved daughter of Hers was taken from Her.

"Are you just going to stare at it until the end of time?" a familiar voice spoke behind Amara.

She rolled Her eyes as She turned to face Him, arms crossed. "What's it to you, Khaos?"

The smoky being, in His anthropomorphic form, simply shrugged. "Nothing, just… I can't help but notice a little tension brewing from my seat in the cul-de-sac," He remarked, like He had absolutely no idea what was going on. It was all a part of His game. "Anything I should be worried about?"

"Like you'd actually care," Amara huffed. "There is nothing I have to say to any brother of mine. Or sister, whatever it is you are choosing to identify as these days."

"You know you can talk to me," Khaos proceeded to place a reassuring hand on Her shoulder.

She shook it off. "Don't play pretend, Khaos. We both know you're incapable of truly caring about anyone. It makes you take sides and you hate that." Her tone became slightly disheartened towards the end as She thought about possibilities that could've been only if there was someone to break the tie between God and Herself. "Besides, you're probably already rejoicing at the way things are going in my universe. My daughter left a frozen sun and now my creations are falling apart so fast that there probably won't be a universe left soon enough. That's what you wanted, right?"

Khaos gave Her a pained expression. "How could you think that of me?" He implored.

"Oh I don't know," Amara began, ready to explode into a sarcastic tirade. "Maybe it has something to do with the fact that you _thrive_ on conflict and disorder?"

"Little sister!" He put a hand to His chest, hurt by Her insinuations. "That may be true to some extent but _this?_ The sun freezing? All of creation dying without a source of energy? It's too much! There'll be nothing _left_ to brew conflict!"

"Typical Khaos," She shook Her head and aimed Her gaze skyward. "Always thinking for Himself."

"Hey, give me some credit," He insisted. "I rooted for you when you went solo. I was the first one to be proud that you created something to show our little brother that we were all capable too! I would _never_ want things to go bad for you, especially on such a… colossal scale."

Amara held His gaze for a moment, contemplating whether She could trust this. Eventually, She relented and exhaled. "Well, your sentiment is touching but it comes at a time when nothing else remains to be done but wait for the collapse. And when that happens, God will finally face my judgment," Amara's eyes grew resolute as She stared straight at the crystalline surface of the sun. As She observed the fine lines that separated the facets of the solid mass in the sky, Her eyebrows creased. "It still surprises me how Adhya managed to do that to the sun. Where must she have learnt that…" She trailed off. Again, She suspected God's involvement in all that went wrong with her universe.

"Why wait?" Khaos interrupted.

Amara paused in thought. She looked down at the sandy ground for a moment and then at the gloomy landscape painted in shades of grey. "I… I guess I liked it." Another pause. "I like my creations and I want to be here with them before I can't anymore."

"Look at you, getting a change of heart. And to think that you were once so fixated on destruction! God may have misjudged you after all," Khaos observed.

This inspired a softness in Amara. Was it all just a great big misunderstanding? Was it possible for Her brother to see that She too could find joy in creation? If He truly did, then He would return Her most prized creation of all, would He not? But that same softness was crushed at the feeling of lost hope, that She might never see Her daughter again.

"You know, you don't _have_ to sit around and mope," Khaos interjected. "You could do something about…" He gestured to the skies and surroundings. "… this."

"All of my creations are doomed. Adhya was the one who did this. Only she can fix it," Amara posited, Her voice laced with despair.

"But God won't let you anywhere near her! You cross that veil and it's open season on you and those creations that you want to see in these final moments." Khaos pointed towards the partition. "But I suppose that if you did want them to die in battle, this would be your chance."

"No, no, I can't do that. Not to them…" She thought about the Anti-Archs, the ones who'd obeyed Her every command unquestioningly for Sophia, and the cruarchs, who were many but unique in their own ways. Such a lively and vibrant home She'd built for Herself and Her children. It would have even put Heaven to shame. "What else is there left to do?" She asked, more rhetorically than legitimately.

"Amara, have you not considered the obvious?" He probed. "You lost one daughter. Why not make another one?"

"What?" Amara looked at Him like He was crazy and She knew that His standards of rationality were nowhere near Hers or God's. "What good would that do?"

"Dear Sister, you're going about this the wrong way," He stated. "You have only been thinking about reversing what has already been done. I say, move forward. Make another one from the same proverbial pot as The First One and there you have another Archon, ready to keep this universe going for another several eons."

She frowned, beginning to consider the possibility. A bit of reservation clung to Her as She thought about what having another daughter would be like. She felt excitement bubbling to the surface but with it, thoughts about what could go wrong. "But all the great potential I had invested in Adhya is all gone. I don't even know what's left. Whatever essence I make from the same line won't be like her."

"Isn't that better?" Khaos urged. "Your first daughter rebelled and ran away!"

Now that the idea had taken root, it was beginning to grow stronger. Truly, it was appealing. But Amara's head was clearer now than it was when Sophia was created. "Why are you telling me this?" She questioned. "What's in it for you?"

"Oh you know…" He shrugged nonchalantly. "More universes, more chances to cause chaos. That's what I'm here for, right?" He broke into a smug grin. "But it _is_ a win-win situation." He tilted His head towards Her and put a finger to His forehead. "Think about it, sis."

* * *

"Why can't you grow slower, Gabe?" Sophia lamented as she threw a rock into the lava. She sat with her legs stretched out on the dark, solid shore that overlooked the sea of lava, as did Gabriel.

"That's what you said last year," his voice was a tad lower than it was before, though not by much. It still had its childish charm but its deeper note gave it a kind of seriousness he didn't intend for it to have. He was still the happy young angel he always was.

"And I'll say it next year! And the year after that!" she smirked as they watched the lava spurt out furiously in response to the thrown rock. "I just worry that you won't play with me as much when you're older and have more responsibilities."

"That's not true," Gabe said, shaking his head and grinning. "I'll always have time for you. I'm just worried you won't have time for me!"

"What are you talking about?" Sophia gave him a puzzled expression. This time, Gabe threw a rock, his hand swinging parallel to the ground. The rock bounced on the lava surface a few times before finally sinking and evoking another violent reaction from the liquid.

"I heard about what Father asked you to do – help Him on earth. I'm excited for you but still… if you spend so much time on earth, I won't see you in Heaven for very long…" Gabe trailed off. "Lucifer's already moping about it."

"He's what? How did he know? I've only told Michael," Sophia admitted.

"Word gets around the block quickly," Gabe explained.

She shook her head once and raised an eyebrow, choosing to ignore the fact that Michael would have told his brother about it. "Was it Lucifer who told you I wouldn't be spending as much time in Heaven?"

"Yeah," he answered. "He said he was heartbroken that you would practically be moving to earth."

"Is that so?" she asked, becoming stern. She took a deep breath and huffed, slightly annoyed by Lucifer worrying his younger brother like that. All based on no proof! He was just spinning lies. Why was he doing this? "Don't worry, Gabe. It's nothing of the sort. I promise I'm not moving to earth."

"Okay…" he still looked sullen and that only infuriated her more. _I'm going to have a talk with Lucifer later_ , she thought to herself.

"Let's not dwell on that. Bottom-line is, I'll be there whenever you want me to be," she concluded. "So tell me, how have you been getting along with the other cherubs as of late?"

"They're nice. School's about to start soon so everyone's been getting ready for it," Gabe got up and stood in the lava, observing its grey surface sink to reveal the hot red glow underneath. He cupped his hands and scooped up some lava, watching how it dripped from his hands.

"Yeah you… stay in school, kid," Sophia ordered.

"Yes, mom," his voice dripped with an amused sarcasm. "There is this one kid though," his eyes narrowed off into the distance. "He looks at everything like its something to be marvelled at."

"Baby angels tend to do that," she remarked as she watched the steam float above the sea of lava.

"I know but this one's different. He doesn't really talk much and when he does it's always something funny that makes the other angels laugh," he elaborated.

"Sounds like he has good social skills."

"Seems more unintentional, really," he said further. "But it's not really a problem. He gets along well with the others. He just stands out, you know?"

"I see," she acknowledged. "This angel could have been made for something special. What's his name?"

"It's something like Cassiel or Castiel," Gabe guessed. "Whatever, same difference."

Sophia nodded. "It's nice to know that not all angels will become homogenous once they grow older and serve their duties."

Gabe kicked a foot into the lava, watching as the droplets sprayed forward onto the shore. They formed shiny greyish-silver droplets on the black, dusty shore. "Why were angels created in different ranks?" he suddenly asked.

"Hmm?" Sophia was caught off-guard by his question.

"How come there's us, the archangels, and then there's seraphs, Rit Zien, cherubs, ophanim and so forth? Why the difference in power?"

"I can't necessarily speak for the mind of God, but I will speculate. We angels are God's servants, are we not?" she began. Gabe nodded. "And what exactly is it that we do when we serve Him?"

"We guard His creations," he responded. He got back onto the shore to sit near Sophia and she received him with open arms, letting him rest his head on her lap.

"Yes, and to do that, we can't all be focussing on the same aspects of creation. Some of us keep things running in Heaven, some explore space, some patrol earth. And us archangels, we oversee everything." She bumped her finger on the tip of his nose as she did when he was much younger. "Point is, there has to be a distribution of labour and different ranks of angels will have specialised powers unique to their role, especially if they are working in a specific sector. Since archangels have to oversee all of this, we have the most power so that we may guide and lead."

"Hmmm…" Gabe nodded. He then cracked a wide smile. "I like your answer better," he simply stated, leaving Sophia to wonder who else he'd asked. "Lucifer just said we were special and we rule."

Sophia rolled her eyes. _Again with Lucifer and his words!_ "Your brother sure seems to have trouble with giving you information," she sighed.

"He's just cocky because he gets whatever he wants," he bemoaned. "He just doesn't care what anyone thinks and he does as he will without consequence!"

"That doesn't sound right…" she said, running her fingers through Gabe's soft, black curls. "He's an archangel. I'm sure he has some forethought. He probably just doesn't employ it as much," she posited.

"That doesn't excuse his behaviour," he retorted, glassy blue eyes glistening as they bore into her emerald ones.

"No, it doesn't," she agreed. "We'll have to do something about that, won't we?"

His eyes widened, a mischievous glint appearing in them. "Oooh are we going to get him in trouble?" he clenched his fists and held them in front of his chest excitedly.

"I'm not sure we'd be getting him in trouble…" she pursed her lips, unsure of the extent of damage she'd want to do to him. "But he'll suffer alright," she burst into a giggle.


	10. All In Good Fun

Sophia's Memories

 **Chapter 10: All In Good Fun**

Sophia bit her finger nervously. Was it really worth it? She couldn't imagine how Lucifer would react. After all his silly comments that did nothing but worry Gabriel, he had to learn that it wasn't okay. What better way to teach him a lesson than a well-intentioned prank? "I've never pranked anyone before," she anxiously said to herself. Anyway, pranking was Gabe's idea. She just wanted to have a fast-paced back-and-forth with the amber-eyed archangel and assault him with her witty comebacks until he surrendered to her intellectual prowess but that didn't assuage Gabriel. _That little trickster,_ she thought. "So what should I do?" she had asked the youngest archangel.

"I don't know," the kid had simply shrugged. "Surprise me."

"Gabe, I have no idea how to surprise you!" she exclaimed, exasperated. "Is there some sort of method to this? Some instruction manual?"

Gabe burst out laughing, his bubbly giggles echoing harmoniously. "Oh, Sophie!" He mimicked the action of wiping a tear from his eye. "You can do anything you want. Just make it hilarious! Make him look stupid. That'll show him!"

Sophia shook her head and grinned as she thought about this, standing at the balcony of her office in Imperium, Heaven's capital. Ever since, all kinds of ideas had popped into her head. But she had always worried which ones were taking things too far and which ones were too mild to have an effect. _This whole idea's silly anyway,_ she thought as she dismissed the plan. _But I'll still have to talk to him about his behaviour!_

 _Okay, Sophia, sound really stern,_ she gave herself a pep talk. _Be firm and don't allow him any excuses._

She took a breath in and released it before entering Lucifer's office. "Hey, man, I need to talk with-" she stopped abruptly. Scarlet eyes met hers, but so did the blue ones of a group of angels. They all turned to look at who was interrupting the meeting.

"Sophia," Lucifer chuckled nervously. "May I help you?"

"I'm sorry, are you in the middle of something?" Her finger, which was held up in an accusatory gesture, slowly curled inwards and sank as she awkwardly smiled at all of them.

A brief silence overtook the room as the other angels scanned her demeanour for anything to worry about and Lucifer considered what to say. "Well… uh… it would appear so…"

"I'll just come back later," she hurried off into her own office, which was down the hallway and shut the door. Her wings fluttered as she sought the solace of the balcony to rid herself of shame. She berated herself for assuming that he would be alone, though it wasn't entirely her fault that he spent most of his time outside and would normally be alone in his own office. She waited anxiously as time passed and simply gazed at all the buildings below. Sunlight glimmered brilliantly from the glass windows and shiny metal exterior of the buildings. A long while passed. Laughter could be heard from the other room. Another long while. More enthusiastic participation resounded. Lucifer _was_ known to be charismatic. Angels liked talking to him, though they still feared him as much as they did his brother. Or rather, 'respect' would be the word.

Sophia calculated the distance between the sun she was seeing and the nearest star using nothing but her fingers and her acute perception of the wavelength of light being given out by both stars. By the time she was done, she realised that everything had fallen silent around her. A little too silent. Her senses sharpened, as they did when she was playing hide-and-seek with Gabriel, and then she heard it – a very-gently placed footstep. It was followed by another one. When she realised that it sounded extremely close to her. Her golden wings perked up in alarm and she spun quickly, holding an arm up and ready to punch the intruder.

"Whoa, whoa, it's just me!" Lucifer held a hand up defensively. When she relaxed, he straightened up and reassumed his suave composure. "Though I'd really like to see you try and punch me!"

"What are you implying? That I'm weaker than you?" Sophia glared at him.

"Oh, never! But fighting is about more than just strength, chicky," he gave her that goofy grin that made her want to laugh and punch him at the same time. "So what's the sitch?"

Her unrestrained smile quickly faded away as she remembered the topic of conversation. "No sitch. Just me. I need to talk to you," she said plainly. "And don't call me 'chicky'."

"Oooh!" His face lit up when she said that. "Are we finally going to talk about what's going on between us?" He held one of her hands in his, raising his eyebrows at her.

"What? No," she drew her hand back. "What's going on between us?"

"Uh… nothing," his gaze flickered as he tried to cover up his burning lust for her. "Just this wonderful friendship that we have. Really is a blessing." He bumped a fist to his chest and held two fingers up as he gazed upwards at where God's office would be. "Thanks, Father."

"…okay…" Sophia narrowed her eyes at him. Then she shook her head briefly to get back to the point. "I need to say something. What you are doing is not okay."

His head tilted ever so slightly. "You're going to have to be more specific…"

She frowned a little, wondering what else he might have gotten up to. "I'm sorry if you think I'm being rude but someone needs to point it out. I can't have you going around telling people things that aren't true. We are archangels. People look up to us. We must not deceive!" Lucifer looked confused, to say the least. He nodded slowly, waiting for her to get into the specifics. "Especially your brother! He is young and naïve and he will believe anything you say. You can't just tell him things like "I'm moving to Earth" and worry him like that."

Lucifer huffed, breaking into a wide grin and exposing his dimples. "That's it? That's what you're upset about? I thought it was something important!" He chuckled, shaking his head.

"I'm serious!" Sophia put her hands on her hips and retained a stern expression, slightly put off by his nonchalance. "You'd better stop with your nonsense rumours!"

"Or what?" he challenged.

"This isn't a joke, Mr Morningstar!"

"Oooh, I'm sooo scared right now!" he mocked with the appropriate hand gestures. "Will I be in trouble with the teacher?"

She felt a mild anger bubbling within her. It wasn't _real_ anger like I-hate-you anger but it was more like you'll-be-sorry-you-challenged-me. "You better cut it out," she warned, folding her arms. Her tone was mild with a patience that came from restraining fury.

"You fail to understand my intentions, chicky," he said, to her distaste. " _It was all in good fun_ , I promise."

That statement set her off. "Your 'good fun' upset Gabriel! Doesn't that bother you one bit?"

He rolled his eyes. "He can handle it. He's not a baby anymore and you should stop treating him like one. You're spoiling him," he stated as a matter-of-fact.

"Don't blame this on me! I see what you're doing," she retorted. "No matter your reason, it doesn't excuse the fact that you've been spreading false information based on insufficient evidence. Do you realise that that contradicts what my duty entails?"

"Okay, look," he held up a palm facing her. "It's not such a big deal. The universe isn't going to end. I can explain."

"What part of 'no matter your reason' do you not get? I don't want to hear it," she dismissed him. "Maybe God will stand for your nonchalance but I won't." Challenging her with a side-eye, Lucifer decided to take his leave. On the same note, Sophia decided that a prank would be a good idea after all, her resolve strengthening.

* * *

Gasps resounded. Blue-white eyes looked up in awe. Sophia merely stood, holding her hand up to the exterior of a building. Her eyebrows were furrowed in concentration. With a flourish, she sprouted a vine from the ground which grew upwards, latching onto the building as it became longer. Such an act of creation was hard to find, with God being the only one known to bring into existence truly living beings. This, of course, did not include beings created as part of illusions as archangels were typically capable of. So it was a true miracle that this archangel was able to spawn such a marvellous thing, green and full of life. The angels stopped and stared in astonishment as the vine fastened itself to the building and grew into and out of windows, sprouting colourful, fragrant flowers in the progress.

Sophia chuckled. She hadn't expected it to work this well. The sound of a chorus caught her attention and she turned, suddenly finding herself face-to-face with a crowd of angels. They were smiling and laughing, singing to her their praises and approval. Their song was sung in such a beautiful note that tears begged to fall from her eyes. But she refrained, channelling the warmth rising in her chest to more creation, showing them what she was capable of. Green tendrils of energy emanated from her as she connected with her surroundings. More green stalks rose around the office buildings in Heaven's capital, Imperium, and decorated their exterior. Angels enthusiastically gazed out of the windows, sensing the change. Those that were singing joined them in flying about and caressing these newly-grown stalks, feeling the life flow within them.

As the archangel strode down the street which lay in between two rows of buildings, her arms reached outwards, summoning the plant growth. She danced as she made her way down the street, giggling and throwing her head about in a trance as the sensation of being one with everything around her enveloped her whole being. Soon, the whole capital was filled with her creative remnants. Sophia hugged her hands to her body, laughing in delight as she felt nothing but peace and love. The light glinted magnificently off her golden wings, casting a lovely golden glow around her everywhere she went. The angels only admired her for this and became happy at the sight of her own happiness as they stood and watched.

"This is… this is beautiful, Archangel," an angel complimented as she stood and admired her work.

Sophia gazed at this angel, a female with angled cheekbones who was much shorter than her – most angels were. Archangels stood tall and mighty among their angelic companions. "Thank you… um…" Sophia tried to spur the angel to speak further.

"Hannah," the angel replied.

"Thank you, Hannah," Sophia completed.

"It's remarkable that you should be able to do as our Father does," Hannah continued. "God be praised for your talents, _madame_."

"Your words are kind, Hannah. It was God who told me that I was capable of such things and encouraged me to pursue them. I just hope I can give back to His world as much as He has done for me," Sophia replied. "Consider this my first real contribution to Heaven."

"The first of many more, I am sure." Hannah and Sophia exchanged enthused gazes and grinned, sharing this wonderful moment in which Imperium had become a tad more beautiful than it originally was. Though it seemed like a small exchange at the time, this one conversation spurred Sophia on further to become more creative and beautify Heaven even more. It also had a special place in this one angel's mind, for Hannah would remember what kind of person Sophia truly was, even when no one else seemed to remember.

Michael watched in quiet awe as a butterfly fluttered its wings on her cheeks, causing her to giggle excitedly. The pink-winged insect then joined its mates which fed eagerly on a plump, fertile flower which hung from the ceiling in Michael's office. "I'm truly amazed, Sophie," he praised. "What you've done… I've never seen anything like it. It resembles Father's work, though it bears a unique… style."

"Do you like it?" she asked, cheeks turning a deep red.

Michael's irises widened at the sight of her demureness. "Of course. It's wonderful. I'm sure Father will love it too."

"You really think so?" Her eyes held so much hope and longing. She grew delighted at the thought of finally being accepted by a divine parent. She knew God loved her, but to hear it from Him or to see Him being pleased by her actions was a feeling that would truly complete her. After all, making this… floral growth throughout Imperium required much effort and thought on her part. Though arduous, it felt like she was being her true self, manipulating the forces of the universe to make something among the likes of what God and Amara would create. If God approved and validated her, it would feel like she truly belonged and she craved that feeling like no one else. She just had a taste of it when the angels showered her with compliments, but the real rush was from hearing it straight from Uncle.

"I know so," Michael nodded. Their eyes locked for a moment and Sophia felt comforted by it. "I only wish Lucifer was here to see it."

"Where did he go?" she asked, as if she didn't know. Truth is, she planned for it this way. It was all part of her 'lesson'.

"He took a bunch of his most trusted generals for a training session out of Imperium. They should be back anytime soon," he answered. "Don't worry, I'll make sure he knows this is you."

"Actually, Michael," Sophia began. "This is going to sound weird, but I need a favour…"

* * *

Lucifer stretched out his wings and his arms, flexing his abdomen in the process as he set foot on the familiar ground leading into Imperium. It had been a long while, training his best soldiers in some isolated corner of Heaven. It was fun, though, doing what naturally came to him – combat. It was the fast-paced quick-timed moments like those that made him pure instinct, acting without a second thought and feeling only the rush of wind against his body as he moved his limbs with innate calculation. He was dedicated to his craft, like Michael was to their Father, like Raphael was to healing and Sophia was to her plants and books. So he was riding a wave of euphoria as the training session ended. He couldn't wait to get back to Imperium and kick back with good company and entertainment.

"Wow," he gasped when he glimpsed the new look of the citadel. He huffed in delight. "What happened here?" he muttered to himself. His eyes scanned the buildings in awe, following the path of creepers and vines as they wound about in exquisite patterns. "Did Father do this?" he wondered.

That was when he noticed the silence. The citadel was usually bustling with activity at this time of day, with angels rushing about their business. _Where is everyone?_ He peeked into the windows of the buildings and sighed in relief as he saw the angels silently doing their work in their offices. Still, it was strange. The angels were usually sent to communicate among departments to get their job done, not sit inside their offices to do paperwork all day. It was as if there was a citadel-wide command for all of them to stay inside. _What is going on?_ He wondered if he missed a memo or something.

Uncertain, the amber-haired archangel wandered further to his office building, setting to the air to fly onto the high floor on which all the archangels did their work. He knocked on the door to his brother's office, nudging it open. "Hello? Michael?" he called out. No response. His senses perked, trying to scope out any anomalies in place. Concluding that Mike wasn't home, he made his way down the hallway to Raphael's office. Again, no one was there. Next was Sophia's. Lucifer noted the new floral decorations in all the offices. They all looked pretty well-constructed. But where were the archangels? "Huh. Something's not right…" With due caution, he sauntered into his own office. Immediately he noticed that it was darker than the other rooms, almost like it was engulfed in a shadow. His eyes glowed more brightly in response, casting a dull red glow wherever he looked. Eyebrows furrowing, he took a step forward. That's when a 'click' sounded.

 _Snap!_ "What the- Let me go!" he yelled. Light filled the room and he could see what he had walked into. The same vines he had seen outside were _swarming_ his room, covering almost every inch of the place. He could barely see his own possessions. Along with that, he now found himself bound at the wrists, ankles and waist by the vines which encircled him. Struggle as he might, he found that he was no match for these strong, green stems. A gleeful giggle sounded around him, following by a deep, chesty laugh. "What's going on?" he demanded to know.

"Sophie, I can't believe it worked!" Gabe was weak with laughter, clutching his abdomen as pearls of his giggle echoed throughout the room.

"Was this you, Gabe? You little cretin!" Lucifer cursed, eyeing his little brother with contempt.

The archangels were in a fit of laughter. They couldn't maintain a straight face long enough to answer. Especially Michael. "I normally wouldn't condone this behaviour," he began. "But brother, you had it coming."

"You'll have my fist coming at you, Mike!" Lucifer retorted in vain. He looked to Sophia, who buried her head into Michael's shoulder, her body shaking with laughter. "Get me out of here, Sophie, and I'll spare you my revenge!" This only caused her to laugh even more.

"Hey Raph! Come in here!" Michael called out the door as he heard some movement by the stairs.

The bronze-skinned archangel walked in, confused. He was in the infirmary, as he always was, but he too had noticed that something was off that day, with the angels being quieter than normal. He felt the rumbling laughter of his siblings from the lower floors of the infirmary – that's how loud and infectious their fun was. Naturally, he'd come up to investigate. His eyes took a while to adjust to the absurd sight before him. On one side, there were the hysterically-laughing archangels – he had never seen his eldest brother so happy before. Then there was the mess of plant stalks all over the room, which was quite overwhelming by itself. He'd noticed the new garden that weaved throughout the whole citadel and appreciated it, but this sight was such a mess that he didn't know what to make of it. Finally, there was a struggling Lucifer in the midst of it all, caught by the tangles of the leaves and stems. It was quite comical, actually, to see his proud and overbearing older brother in such a state. And the fury on his face! The one treasured most by their father reduced to a helpless prisoner of the very thing that improved the beauty of Imperium.

Lucifer watched in shock as Raphael broke out into a deep snicker which evolved into a chortle that matched that of Michael's. "You're all having a good laugh, huh?" he challenged. "I don't know which one of you did this, or why, but I'll get you!" Lucifer struggled even more, pulling at the vines. "Gabe, you're going to get it this time!"

"In how many millennia?" Raphael poked at his inability to get out of his entrapment. "Gabe would have grown up by then!"

"Well you're next, buddy!" As he said this, one of the stems finally tore and gave way under his angered pull. Now free to use a hand, he pulled out his short sword and cut at the vines. The laughter died slowly as the archangels realised that he was free. Lucifer stood, heaving deep breaths as he scanned their faces.

"Run!" Gabe yelled. Everyone split, taking off in different directions. Lucifer wasted no time, chasing after the easiest target – Gabriel. They flew far and wide in an attempt to distract him. Instinctively, Gabe rushed into the forests where he was most comfortable hiding, squealing and giggling as he was enthused by the chase. But Lucifer was bigger and faster; his large wings gave him the advantage of speed as he cut through the tree barks with ease.

"You're gonna pay, Gabe!" Lucifer yelled after him.

"It wasn't me, I swear!" Gabe defended himself as he became alarmed by the closing gap between them.

"Yeah, right!" Lucifer brushed off his comment, like he didn't believe that his younger brother was incapable of doing such a thing. With a swoop, he caught his younger brother's hand and pushed him up against a tree as the kid struggled. "Accept responsibility, dammit!"

"Hey! Pick on someone your own size!" A female voice sounded from his right. "Gabe's telling the truth, by the way," Sophia informed him.

Lucifer's eyes narrowed at her. Realisation flashed in his gaze. "You? Was it you?" he asked with a pointed glare.

Sophia simply shrugged. " _It was all in good fun,_ I promise," she quoted him.

A brief silence passed between them. Lucifer let go of Gabe. His body angled towards her, observing her with a deadly silent scowl with those blazing red eyes that threatened to set fire to everything around them. It was in that moment that Sophia realised that she messed with the wrong archangel. Heaven hath no fury like Lucifer's, as was true across all of space and time. The quiet between them was not a calm one, it was the receding wave before the onset of a tsunami. And she saw it in his tightening facial muscles, his clenching fists, his pursed lips and that glare which could kill. Now her heart was sinking at the sight of it. But she would stand her ground, certain of her conviction that she did good.

As soon as she saw his wings inching backwards, she turned heels and took off. His wings propelled him forward in a great leap toward her as a great chase ensued. Lucifer was fast with his feathers, sure, but Sophia was equally fast with her legs. She wove around the trees, jumping over protruding roots and using this momentum to leap up and catch onto branches which then further flung her forward. Not oblivious to the rush of wind coming from the flapping of Lucifer's wings close to her, she summoned the roots from the ground. The woody outgrowth abruptly stopped his trajectory, maintaining somewhat of a barrier between the two of them. This gave her much-needed time to put distance between them. Undeterred, Lucifer slashed at the roots with his sword and with some difficulty, managed to get through them.

Forest creatures watched in naïve anticipation at this pursuit. To the untrained eye, it would seem like two streaks of light were buzzing through the woods. As they neared the edge of the forest, Sophia sharply came to a stop, her feet inches from a cliff. She looked over the edge, finding a sharp decline into a larger expanse of forests deep below that she was unfamiliar with. She hesitated momentarily. As someone who was very grounded, she wasn't as comfortable as the other angels with using her wings. It required conscious effort from her and took her another several years to master. She looked back, finding Lucifer nearing her at a frightening speed. "Here I go," she took in a deep breath and leapt off the cliff.

The cool wind felt like pins and needles against her skin. Relaxing in her freefall, as she remembered to do, she concentrated on the muscles of her wings and stretched them out. While doing this, however, she became conscious of her pursuer following right behind her and grew panicked. In the rush of the moment, her wings stretched a bit too much and grazed painfully against the rough cliff-face. Sparks flew from the touch of hard metallic surface of her feathers against the rock. She let out a short yelp as some feathers dislodged from where they grew. Suddenly, she lost control over her flight and fell uncontrollably, holding her injured wing close to her. Realising that she was hurt, Lucifer gasped and rushed towards her, his wings folding behind him to assume a more streamlined shape for falling. He reached out an arm to grab her but it wasn't enough.

They both fell noisily, breaking through the ground and landing inside a cave of some sort. Dust rose in clouds around them as they lay next to each other. Groaning, they both sat up and their eyes met. A small grin widened on Sophia's face, unimpeded by the minute stinging pain in her wing. Her hands inched backwards as she clamoured to get away from him but this time, he was faster. He pounced on her, tackling her. They both rolled on the ground, with him holding her wrists in a tight grip and her struggling to break free. She let out squeals of protest as she pushed against him. "I've got you now, chicky!" he declared in triumph, letting a wide smirk show despite his dominant feelings of rage earlier.

"Agh!" she shouted as she wrestled with his grasp.

"Just apologise and it'll be over," he offered, chuckling as he relished the feel of her futile attempts at escape. _Revenge is sweet._

"I'm. Not. Sorry!" she huffed with effort as she swung a leg around his waist and pushed him off of her, catching him by surprise. He stared in surprise up at her as she pulled free from his hands and tried to get up. Regaining his better senses, he darted up and wrapped his arms around her waist, grappling with her as they both fell ceremoniously to the ground again, bathed in the light coming in from the gaping hole they created. This time, Lucifer pressed his weight against her while holding her wrists down. Sophia cried out again, her damaged wing hitting the ground with force. This gave Lucifer pause as he glanced upon her face. It was contorted with an expression of pain and she slowly opened her eyes. They both breathed heavily from the swift scuffle between them.

Sophia's eyebrows creased as she looked into his eyes. She saw no rage in them. He simply stared at her, his eyebrows crinkled like hers. Whatever this expression was, it was a stark difference to what he had earlier. Suddenly, they both became conscious of their intimacy, their faces only an inch away from each other. Lucifer felt the warmth from her body, a luxury to the freezing cold of his core. Slowly, his left hand released her wrist and traced her wing, which was folded by her side. Taken by curiosity, she lay still, observing him. The feel of his cool fingers on her wings sent shivers through her body. The tightness that existed between both their bodies made her question her emotions and thoughts, though in that moment she could focus on nothing but the excitement she got from his touch.

She winced and his head jerked towards her face. "Sorry," he eased the pressure on her damaged feathers, tracing their roots as slowly and gently as he could, massaging them to ease her pain. His eyes roved over her face, noticing her features in a new light. She saw the way he looked at her – it was the same look he had plastered on his face the first time they'd met. Her gaze too softened, drifting to his lips and his jaw and his throat which betrayed a gulp like he was savouring something. Before they knew it, their lips met and their bodies eased against each other, his right hand releasing the grip on her wrist and moving up her hand to intertwine his fingers with hers. Their eyes closed, feeling their awareness escape into each other and becoming one entity together. She felt electrified in her chest, wanting to stay in this moment forever. Yet, a discomfort at the thought of what they were doing made it into her mind. Her free hand held his cheek and her thumb traced his jawline, finally coming to rest on his chin. She slightly nudged him away with her thumb and he relented, keeping his lips away from hers by a thin, negligible margin.

Their eyes met again. Lucifer simply looked amazed, his softening gaze regarding her as if she was a work of art. Hers, on the other hand, beckoned him to move away, her free hand gently pushing against his bare shoulder revealed by his robe. It took him a while to capitulate to her severing their short-lived moment of intimacy, but he did, out of respect for her, though his yearning lips stole the chance to trace her cheekbones as they both got up. "You should get Raphael to check that out," he finally said, breaking the silence between them.

"Yeah," she nodded, her eyes fixed on the ground, still in shock at the turn of events. Lucifer absently rubbed the back of his head with a hand. He definitely wanted to talk about it. He felt a great release in that moment they had kissed. It was the best feeling he'd ever known since he was created. Excitement bubbled within him at the thought. Sophia's face, however, told another story. She grew silent and her expression was plain. No happiness, no resentment – it was unreadable and that puzzled him. Did she not enjoy it like he did? Did he upset her? Just as he was about to talk about what was on his mind, she leapt up, her agile body propelling her upwards to the opening of the crevasse and she pulled herself up onto the forest ground.

"Sophia, wait," he called out but she didn't listen. She just kept going. He followed suit, leaping up onto the forest ground. By the time he had reached it, she had walked off briskly to the cliff face. He rushed forward and made it to the rocky surface before she could and planted his palm against it in front of her, forcing her to confront him. "Let's talk about this."

She paused, her eyes slowly drifting from his hand to his face, filled with uncertainty. A momentary hesitation gripped her speech. She didn't know what to tell him. She felt a war brewing in her mind. "I… should go. Gabriel will be worried," she deflected.

Lucifer didn't blame her. He was starting to think that he made her uncomfortable and it was beginning to worry him. He simply nodded. "Let me help you," he offered, reaching his arms to carry her.

She shook her head and held her hands against him to refuse. "It's alright. I'll climb up," she said.

"No seriously, we'll get there faster by flying," he ordered with a tone that said that he would not take 'no' for an answer. He did feel a little bad that she got hurt in their chase. Seeing as there was no other option, she relented and let him carry her with both his arms. She didn't speak on the way back. She didn't so much as look at him. She just had a lot on her mind. When they finally landed in Imperium, she wasted no time in pulling herself away from his arms and walking off into the main office building. Lucifer followed silently as she made her way to the infirmary.

"What do we have here?" Raphael remarked as he spotted Sophia. She gave him a warm smile, as though nothing serious had happened. Raphael had begun to warm up to her and this much was evident in the milder manner in which he talked to her. Ever since that heart-warming storytelling session in which he learnt her struggles against Amara, he grew to have some sympathy for her, though he still had his suspicions in the back of his mind. He scanned her up and down, looking for anomalies, and she slightly stuck out her damaged wing. "Oh my, I'll have to take a look at that," he said, his healer instincts kicking in. Lucifer leaned against a nearby wall and Sophia sat on one of the beds as Raphael came up close to inspect the wing. "It's just a graze," he inferred, shooting Lucifer an accusative glare. "I have something that'll help with that."

Lucifer mouthed "What?" at his brother, who got up to get his supplies. That was when he realised what this must look like. _Dammit,_ he thought, berating himself once again for not taking care of her when he should have. _I always act before I think._

As if to make the situation worse, Gabriel sauntered in, hoping to spend some time with Raphael while waiting for Sophia to come back. But as fate would have it, she was already there and he ran up to her, enveloping her in a warm embrace. "Sophie! You're back!"

She too laughed in return. "I am." She tried to contract her wing to keep it from his view but she was too slow. The moment he pulled away from her, he noticed the damage.

"Oh no, what happened?" he couldn't help but ask. He gingerly held the arching bone of her wing between his palms, though he was a bit careless with the pressure which caused her to wince.

"It's nothing," she waved it off and silently thanking Raphael for returning with the supplies when he did so that she wouldn't have to elaborate on what had happened.

Gabriel shot a nasty glower at Lucifer. "I knew you were mad but this? What's wrong with you?" he chided his older brother.

Lucifer gaped, taken aback by what his brothers thought he was guilty of. "Wha- It's not what it looks like!" he rebutted.

"I'll show you what you'll look like!" Angry little soldier Gabriel stormed up to Lucifer, ready to kick his shin with all the strength he could summon.

"Gabe, no," Sophia stopped him. "It's not his fault. I fell."

He pouted his lips, staring fiercely at Lucifer before turning back to Sophia. "Really! I swear," Lucifer supported, holding his arms up in surrender.

"Sure…" Gabe still seemed sceptical.

Raphael grinned inwardly, amused by Gabe's anger. _So much fury for one so small…_ he thought. _He'll make a good warrior yet._

"Anyway, I'd say we're even now," Sophia said, looking to Lucifer.

"You're still cleaning my room, though," he stated, a smirk spreading across his face.


	11. Discontinued

**A/N:**

 **Hi guys, I know I haven't updated this fic in literally forever. After a very long consideration, I am sad to announce that I will no longer be continuing this story. I have just gotten so busy over the past year that even writing my main fic has become a struggle. Given the little free time I have, I would like to focus more deeply on finishing my main fic, Sophia's Chronicles. Still, I would like to thank you for showing an interest in this story so far and I'm sorry if you were looking forward to reading more.**

 **This fic was mainly intended for me to flesh out my own ideas about the characters I use in Chronicles and is very experimental at that. This was supposed to be an exercise for me to think about the characters more deeply and build on an extend universe (or universes) so I don't want this story to be considered exactly 'canonical'. This story was also basically an excuse for me to write romance/smut/fluff which I don't write much in Chronicles because it's supposed to be more serious. That being said, not everything established here will be 'thrown out'. We'll only have to wait and see which story elements presented here will be used in Sophia's Chronicles.**

 **I hope someday in the future I might be able to pick this up again. Once again, thanks for the follows/favourites and sorry to end it so suddenly.**


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